Dominica government accused of abusing state funds

by Paul Charles
Caribbean Net News Dominica Correspondent

Friday, August 19, 2005

ROSEAU, Dominica: The parliamentary opposition in Dominica has accused the government of "wanton abuse of state funds", saying the ruling Dominica Labour Party (DLP) had used the money for its political campaign during the May 2005 general election.

The United Workers Party (UWP) told the local press: "Figures in the Supplementary Appropriation Act past last week in parliament point clearly to the wanton abuse of state funds for party political campaigning."

The bill, which had amounted to EC$13.9 million and is ironically entitled "An Act to 'Sanction' certain payments from the Consolidated fund of Dominica in excess of the sum provided for the services of the Commonwealth of Dominica during the year ended June 2005." 

Opposition leader and head of the UWP, Edison James, said that, "Parliament was asked to ratify money which was essentially used as bribery in the election campaign." 

Mr James questioned a budgeted sum of money to the Prime Minister's office for "housing assistance to the needy", explaining that that was the responsibility of the Ministry of Community Development.

A top official of the DLP has dismissed the opposition charges, noting that they "everything we do is above board and in the interest of the Dominican people." 

President of the UWP, Ron Green, said he had concerns about the "abuses and irregularities" were having on the country's democracy.

"The party is not the state," Mr Green pointed out, "we do not expect to get in Parliament, the Labour Party budget." 

The UWP has filed petitions in the local courts challenging the results in five constituencies in the last general election which the DLP won with 12 seats to the UWP's eight. 

The other winning candidate in the 21-seat single-chamber parliament is an independent with close ties to the governing party.

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