Dominica News Online
Members of the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) are taking their gripe about the rental fee for the Prime Minister’s residence at Morne Daniel to the entrance of that community today.
Cabinet has made a decision to approve a monthly payment of EC$32,000.00 to rent a residence in Morne Daniel from Mercury Properties Development Ltd for the prime minister.
This decision has generated much controversy, drawing strong criticism from the opposition and some members of the public.
Treasurer of the CCM, John Blanchard, told Dominica News Online (DNO) that members of the group will be seen standing with their placards, speaking out loudly against this “wicked and malicious” act.
“The purpose of that gathering is basically, to show our dissent, our disapproval of that $32,000 monthly rental fees for the Prime Minister’s residence in addition to another $32,000…for all expenses,” he said.
Blanchard said the CCM believes it is “unfair and unreasonable” that taxpayers should have to pay $64,000 for “one man, the Prime Minister, for rent.”
He questioned that expenditure in light of the many other needs of the country which he says is still recovering from Hurricane Maria and is now grappling with COVID-19.
“There are so many houses in the country that are still uncovered or have tarpaulin…,” Blanchard lamented. “We have the public library that is supposed to be serving the children of the country, so they could go there and do their research and read a book and educate themselves, the public library is still in a state of disrepair and so many other public buildings are still not repaired.”
He pointed to what he described as the depressed living conditions of many people and the fact that some have lost their jobs, are unable to pay their rent and unable to take care of their families.
Meantime, Senior Counsel Tony Astaphan has said that it has long been his view that the CCM is not interested in anything of concern to the citizens, but is no more than that of the propaganda machinery and the mischief-making mechanism of the United Workers Party.
“The suggestion that they want to have a protest against the rent to be paid to the Prime Minister’s residence at Morne Daniel is petty. It is childish; it is ridiculous and it shows that that movement as riddled that it is with dissent seeks only to dance to the tune of the United Workers Party,” he stated.
He said the situation has been discussed at Parliament, the Prime Minister and Senior Minister Reginald Austrie have dealt with it.
“We have dealt with it on the various radio programmes,” Astaphan explained. “We have explained to the people that the $32,000 includes a fully furnished house, insurance and whatever have you and that the expenditure for the Prime Minister’s residence may not be substantially used at all because of the new arrangements.”
Members of the public are invited to join the gathering which is scheduled to be held from 2:30pm to 7:00pm.
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Spending $32,000 monthly for a house sounds ludicrous. It would be nice to hear what would be the justification for such expenditure, when some of that monies could have being spent on many less fortunate persons within the country.
Perhaps Caribbean countries should invest in the purchase of homes for their prime minister for them to live in during their tenure. The rent for that home would be about 2 million dollars after a 5 year term, it would make much more sense to buy it outright.
There are houses owned by the government of Dominica for government ministers in which to reside but were destroyed by Hurricane Maria. Why were not these houses repaired instead of paying some company or people $32,000 monthly for rent? Why can’t the government use the rent money to repair the government houses in which the ministers used to reside before Hurricane Maria instead of paying $32,000 for rent and another $32,000 for maintenance? Dominica! Dominica! Whither goest thou?
The PM lived in a government owner house since his tenure but before Hurricane Maria he moved to a rented house paid by the government for about $15,000.00 monthly. The PM residence was supposed to have been repaired or renovated which never took place for one reason or another. After Hurricane Maria, the PM lived with the President in the President house up to the time he moved into the manson. There was enough time and opportunity for the state to build a residence for the PM.
To cut the story short, the present $29,000,000.00 manson was build with CBI Passport money on the PM’s wife family land and the house is allegedly owned by the PM. He now wants the state to pay $32,000.00 monthly rent and another $32,000.00 monthly for upkeep of the property including a $20,000.00 annual insurance. This is absurd and lavish which the state cannot afford at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. These monies could be better spend on poor people housing and other needs. So people are incensed and that is why you are seeing this protest.
It is not Roosevelt Skerrit house, it is for future Prime Ministers. It is unfair for the Prime Minister to travel almost an hour to the his office in Roseau everyday rather than to be closer to it.
I wonder how much Antiguans are paying to take care of Prime Minister, Ministers of Government and Governor General? Why can’t Antigua be transparent as Dominica 🇩🇲?
There is already a house owned by the government for the prime minister to reside. Why should tax payers pay $64,000 monthly for the prime minister for rent and maintenance when a house is already available and all there is to be done is repair it?
Ryan Greene the house is being rented for Roosevelt Skerrit as Prime Minisiter of Dominica . No where does it state that it will become the dwelling place of any subsequent Prime Minister.There is already an official Prime Minister residence which is need of repairs. It should simply be renovated with state funds and the Prime Minister can be allowed to move in and live rent-free. This is not a Dominica vs Antigua issue. It is an issue about monetary spending in a time when things are bleak. The rent will be almost $1 000 a day where there are people who do not even make over $1000 a month.
The issue is more than just the rent of the property; the ownership of the property is the main issue. We know that the Prime Minister admitted that EC$1.2 billion was diverted from the consolidated fund into a separate fund for housing development. We also know that the company which he contracted, without bidding, to build these houses is also the sole director of the company that was newly-formed and which owns this house, on paper.
So it looks likely that Dominicans’ passports were sold and the proceeds were used to build a 29 million dollar palatial-style building which now belongs to a foreigner and for which the citizens have to pay rent and maintenance costs for the PM to live in
Doesn’t sound right to a reasonable person I would suggest.
Ryan Greene,I thought it was rented .The Best idea would have been to build a resident own by the people that all Prime minister will live in.
Dominca is far from transparent.. The building that was used to house Prime Ministers got damaged after Hurricane Maria. All they had to do was to fix it. 64,000 dollars from tax payers is very hard and cruel
Dominica has an official PM residence but it got damaged during the hurricane and was not repaired. The PM also has a huge house at his constituency. Futhermore, he is typically out of Dominica for a significant portion of each year. With modern technology he does not need to travel to Roseau every day.
Yes, Antigua must be totally transparent on this issue also. What is Antigua paying to look after our Ministers and the Governor General? The citizens deserve a full accounting and the people have a right to know. The books must be opened totally. This is a people’s government and the people are paying the bills. We want our leaders to be properly looked after, but we also require a full accounting. Thank you.
Oh my God people are wicked!!! All that money $64000 in these hard times while some people in Dominica don’t know where their next meal is coming from. The heart of man is desperately wicked who can know it?
You’ll be shocked! Google Antigua laws and you’ll find the regulations that cover salaries and stipends for ministers, PM, Opposition Leader, etc…. It’s not a secret. It’s public information. Pay attention to the investment finders fee!
You guys really need to stop with the lie about investment finders fee. The Integrity in public life act makes clear that such paid to a public official (covered under that act and this includes MP’s) is illegal. Read section 26 of the act
In Antigua and Barbuda.There is such a thing as finders fees for Government Officials.They find the Investors and are paid for those findings.There is no Integrity Commission in Antigua and Barbuda.They are hiding out in a cave.Only on a piece of paper,not in reality.
What kind of nonsense is this! Skerrit is supposedly a SOCIALIST in the tradition of Maurice Bishop and “The Comrade” in St. Vincent. This is capitalism gone haywire. The man should live more like the people he is elected to serve. He should follow the example of Bishop and Fidel Castro who were men of the people who lived modestly. The people loved them because they were truly men of the people whom they served. Skerritt should refuse to live in that house.
Wicked wicked wicked prime minister of Dominica and all those who support all his wrongs riding on the backs of the poor Dominican mr prime minister your days are numbered you will be jailed right in America and the rest of the corrupt government of the oecs. Mr prime of Dominica the prime ministership were never found in you. This $64000.00 dollars for rent is illegal stealing from the people. plus the 1.2 billion dollar Roosevelt skerrit unaccounted for you are done with because thing about you is more evil than good and it is not in you to stop evil our peaple are suffering under your one man leadership you are a disgrace to our country and people. Roosevelt you have plunged your ALP party in the bottomless pit so repent and give up power or the full brunt of the law shall be applied on you and your cronies will go down sooner or later you are shaking in your boots because you know all the coruption that are following you for everyone to see you you think you could out smart truth 😂. Shame shame shame.
All of this and A & B is paying prime ministers to live in their own houses. It time enough to build a Prime Minister’s residence as that of the Governor and stop paying them to live in their houses. The gentle man most of us refer to as the “Founding Father” did use the house at Thompson but other politicians had rip off government plans so they decide to make it a cemetery and get pay to live in their own houses. What ah wicked set ah people. The former PM of Barbados was laid to rest yesterday and after being the longest serving PM of that country he wasn’t knighted, but in A & B the knighthood is bestowed on knight every Tom, Dick and Harry, some even ah dra all kine ah money ah mont time whilw government struggle fu meet basic necessities. What ah wicked set ah people!
Tired of govt officials living high on the hog with tax payers dollars and still get a huge salary for doing bare minimum at best
@Stoplie. Your right public officers of the government cannot. The act does not address actors of the said public official!
$384,000 PER YEAR TO RENT A HOUSE???REALLY? WHAT A DAMN RIPOFF.THAT IS WHAT I WOULD CALL AN ENRICHMENT SCHEME.
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