LEADER OF OPPOSITION IN DOMINICA IS OFFICELESS, UNFUNDED BY THE STATE AND DOES NOT “EVEN HAVE A BICYCLE TO DELIVER A MAIL” …not even the National Broadcasting Station respects the opposition. Hon. Lennox Linton is the Leader of the Opposition of Dominica. He was so appointed by the President of Dominica in accordance with the provisions of Chapter IV, Section 66 of the Constitution of Dominica having commanded the support of a majority of the elected members of the House who do not support the Government. Hon. Lennox Linton took over from the youngest Opposition Leader in Dominica, Mr. Hector “Spaggs” John. From 1990 to present, the UWP has served the longest in opposition and therefore it has accumulated the most experience of dealing with government disrespect and advocating for the importance, needs and challenges faced by an Opposition. The government of Roosevelt Skerrit has never been in opposition and therefore does not know of the pain and challenges of being in opposition. Unlike Skerrit, Dr. Kenny Anthony of the SLP in St. Lucia having experienced humiliation as Leader of the Opposition vowed to improve the status of the Opposition Leader in that country when he became Prime Minister. He made provisions for his government to provide the Opposition Leader with office space, a vehicle and other facilitates for its effective operation. He even ensured that the Leader of Opposition had a diplomatic passport to facilitate his travels. To some extent, the same is provided for in Antigua. In jurisdictions like Guyana and Trinidad, the funding of the Office of the Leader of Opposition is legislated by an Act of parliament, which mandates the government should provide adequate funding from the government’s coffers for the operations of the office. In Guyana, for instance, the Act mandates the government to provide a “rent free office” for the Opposition Leader in addition to security for both the provided office and his personal the home. Throughout the region, Opposition parliamentarians have complained of the government’s lack of attention to the facilities necessary to allow the Opposition to function efficiently. The question is, “How can the opposition fulfill it’s obligations with little or no resources? Clearly, without the assistance of government, the work of the Opposition is significantly impeded. It also demonstrates the government’s apparent refusal to respect the Opposition. Without such support of the government, it is impossible to cope with the level of work required from the Opposition. Then again, one may ask why should government support the Opposition in that way when the role of the Opposition is to hold the executive accountable, while it performs its role as the ‘alternative government’, with the responsibility to scrutinize the government and to ensure that proposed legislations are in the best interest of the people as specified by the Constitution, in meaningful consultations on important appointments.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 01:41:08 +0000
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