We believed that Skerrit simply did not know how to attract meaningful business to Dominica. That perhaps he lacked the vision, the skills, the leadership necessary to build a thriving economy. We were only half right. The reality is far more damning: it is not that Skerrit does not know how, it is that no one wants to do business here under his leadership.
Corruption And The CBI Stain.
The Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program has done more than just tarnish Dominica’s reputation, it has poisoned it beyond repair under Skerrit’s leadership. What was once marketed as a pathway to development has been twisted into a global scandal. Passports, our nation’s most sacred document, have been sold like trinkets to the highest bidder, many of them criminals, fugitives, and fraudsters operating under false identities. Each sale did not just enrich a select few. it dragged every Dominica’s name deeper into the mud of international shame. Instead of attracting reputable investors, the program has been weaponized to line the pockets of the few while dragging the entire nation’s name through the mud.
International investigations, including Al Jazeera’s Diplomats for Sale, exposed on video how Dominican passports were handed to known criminals and fugitives, sometimes under known false names. These revelations have not been denied, but rather buried under secrecy and silence, leaving the rest of the world to conclude that the government of Dominica has no interest in transparency or accountability.
This matters deeply for investment. Reputation is currency, and Dominica has spent all of its credibility. Investors need confidence that the country where they are putting their money operates under the rule of law, not outside it. With Dominica’s CBI program tied to global scandals, blacklists, and allegations of fraud, any serious business person will see the risk far outweighs the reward.
And the danger is not just reputational, it is structural. Visa-free agreements can be revoked at any time because of the CBI’s abuses, isolating Dominica further and choking any pathway to legitimate global trade. No investor will build when the foundation itself is unstable.
As long as the CBI program remains tainted by Skerrit’s corruption, Dominica will remain a red-flag jurisdiction, avoided by credible investors and abandoned by those seeking a future built on trust.
Wealth Without Accountability
Roosevelt Skerrit’s lavish lifestyle, sprawling luxury homes, and unexplained fortune stand as an open insult to the people of Dominica. While ordinary citizens struggle to survive, their Prime Minister flaunts a wealth that no public salary could ever justify. This is not leadership, it is exploitation. And the entire world has noticed.
International investors and financial institutions are not blind. They see the same photographs of luxury villas and mansions. They hear the same unanswered questions about offshore accounts, shady land deals, and missing public funds. These contradictions confirm what has long been whispered in Dominica, public office is not a service, it is a business. The result is devastating, no one with serious capital will risk putting it in a country where the leader himself embodies corruption.
This perception of systemic rot explains why the big Canadian banks suddenly and unexpectedly pulled out of Roseau years ago after decades of being present. Banks do not abandon markets without reason—they live and die by stability, credibility, and compliance. Their departure was not some coincidence or corporate reshuffling; it was a direct response to the toxic reputation Dominica earned under Skerrit’s rule.
Once Dominica’s government and its controversial CBI program began appearing in international headlines for selling passports to criminals and sheltering fugitives, the banks knew the risk outweighed the reward. They did not want to become entangled in scandals, sanctions, or money-laundering investigations. Their exit was not just a business decision, it was a vote of no confidence in Skerrit’s regime.
All investors look at all of this and see a toxic landscape: a head of state living beyond his means, a government addicted to secrecy, banks fleeing the capital, and a passport program synonymous with corruption. This is not stability. This is not transparency. This is not a country where money is safe.
Under Skerrit, Dominica has slammed the door on legitimate business. No credible investor will build here, because the foundations of governance itself are rotten.
Institutions Fleeing, Businesses Closing.
Transparency is not just about numbers, it is about trust. When well-established institutions like Ross University Medical School abruptly relocate without explanation leave thousands without jobs, the alarm bells ring loud for investors. If a globally recognized university can leave suddenly, what does that say about the stability and reliability of doing business in Dominica?
It is not just universities. Businesses continue to close, some long-standing, some small startups, as investors witness corruption, favoritism, and unpredictability. Each closure sends the same message: Dominica under Skerrit is unstable, unaccountable, and risky. If you want capital, partnerships, or global trade, you need stability, something Skerrit cannot and has not provided.
Trades And Labour
That is exactly why Skerrit emphasizes “skilled labor” for the next generation of Dominica’s youth while largely ignoring technology and innovation. The truth is that nearly all of the skilled, educated workforce has already left the country because there are no real opportunities or meaningful work here. Skerrit cannot convince them to stay, and he certainly cannot lure them back.
Now, he wants to prepare the next generation to “fill the void” left by those who fled, a void created by his own mismanagement, corruption, and failure to build an economy that rewards talent. But history offers a clear warning: why would this new generation stay when the same conditions persist?
Teaching skills alone is meaningless if there are no jobs, no infrastructure, no investment, and no opportunity to apply them. Without fixing the systemic problems that drove the previous generation away, this plan is doomed from the start.
In other words, Skerrit is trying to solve a problem that he himself created, by convincing children to inherit a system that has repeatedly failed. It is not leadership, it is wishful thinking, and the people of Dominica will ultimately pay the price.
Skerrit is trying to fix a problem he created, while investors watch Dominica drain its human capital and destroy its credibility. Skilled workers and young professionals continue to flee, leaving businesses short-staffed and the economy weak. Investors will not commit to a market where talent is leaving and the government cannot provide the stability or opportunities needed to retain it. Under Skerrit, Dominica may look appealing on paper, but in reality, it is a risky, unreliable place to do serious business.
Friends In The Wrong Places.
InInstead of building credibility, Skerrit cozies up to authoritarian regimes. He embraces China, Venezuela, Cuba, and even Serbia, governments long criticized for human rights abuses, corruption, and democratic backsliding. These alliances serve his personal interests, not the national good, and they do nothing to reassure international investors. On the contrary, they raise red flags. Businesses seek reliable partners, not leaders who take marching orders from dictators.
And let us be very clear that every individual or entity that takes from this government is complicit in Dominica’s decline. By feeding off Skerrit’s corrupt system for their own self-gain, they are not building a future, they are strip-mining a nation. The enrichment they enjoy today is temporary, because corruption never sustains itself forever. When the façade eventually collapses, their wealth and privilege will collapse with it, leaving only ruin for the people of Dominica.
Fontaine’s Repeated Failures Scare Investors.
Fontaine’s leadership raises serious concerns for investors and partners. After 25 years in politics, the UWP and now Fontaune have delivered nothing tangible, and their actions reveal a pattern of risk, abandonment, and failure:
- Provoked a protest, then fled: Fontaine stirred public unrest but failed to face the consequences, eventually becoming a wanted fugitive. Fontaine encouraged people to take action but abandoned them when it escalated, leaving participants to face the legal system on their own. He became a wanted fugitive, which forced him to flee to South Sudan.
- Failed in Sudan and had no options: While in South Sudan, Fontaine failed to deliver results and was eventually fired. With nowhere else to go, he was forced to return to Dominica, which demonstrates his lack of competence and resilience in managing challenges abroad.
- Abandonment in critical situations: From domestic responsibilities to international involvement, Fontaine repeatedly leaves people behind, signaling he cannot be trusted to see initiatives through.
- Cowardice under pressure: Investors need leaders who confront challenges, not those who incite action and then runaway.
- Silent on Skerrit and key issues: Fontaine’s steady refusal to speak out against Skerrit corrupt government signals complacency or complicity, suggesting alignment with problems rather than solutions.
- No vision or delivery: Decades of rhetoric have produced no meaningful development, growth, or investor opportunities.
For investors, Fontaine represents instability and risk. His pattern of inciting action, fleeing responsibility, failing abroad, and remaining silent on critical issues makes him untrustworthy as a leader or partner.
Our Nation Is Paying The Price.
The result is obvious: Dominica is closed for serious business. Investors avoid us. Jobs remain scarce. Opportunities vanish. Youths flee. And every day, Dominica’s global standing erodes.
The root cause is clear: lack of transparency, corruption, and mismanagement under Skerrit’s regime. Until Dominica has a government that operates openly, respects accountability, and values credible partnerships, our nation will continue to be isolated and impoverished.
Skerrit can lie all he wants, try to confuse us with excuses or use his psychology degree on us, but the facts speak for themselves. Investors will not risk their capital here when corruption, mismanagement, and secrecy dominate government operations. They want stability, transparency, and a workforce capable of executing their plans. None of that exists.
Dominica needs to wake up bbecause, every day of inaction drives away investment, talent, and opportunity. If we do not demand accountability and leadership that governs transparently, our country will continue to stagnate, and the next generation will face an economy with even fewer prospects. The time to act is now, our future depends on it.
Team DRP