In our country, where democracy is hanging on by a thread, where political alternatives are almost non-existent, Dominica’s last two independent Members of Parliament, Anthony Charles of Marigot and Jesma Paul‑Victor of Salisbury, have managed to do the unthinkable. They have made dysfunction look like a competition.
How Ridiculous Is It That Even These Two Cannot Work Together?
This childish argument is not about principles. This is not about serving the people of their constituencies. This is about titles, power, and ego-driven turf wars. When Charles and Paul‑Victor were elected as the only opposition members in a Parliament otherwise dominated by Skerrit’s Dominica Labour Party, they had a rare and historic chance to model something new: unity, collaboration, and maturity. Instead, we got a petty, embarrassing game of musical chairs over who gets to sit in the Opposition Leader’s seat.
They made a public power-sharing agreement. Paul-Victor was to serve as Leader of the Opposition for 18 months, then hand the title to Charles. That date came and went in June 2024, and now it is nearly August 2025. Where is the leadership? Where is the follow-through? Paul‑Victor has gone quiet. Charles is publicly pleading for the agreement to be honoured. And the people are left watching two supposed independents behave no differently than the power-hungry Dominica Labour Party operatives they once criticized.
This petty squabble is not just a personal embarrassment. It is a constitutional crisis. Dominica has now been going without an officially recognized Leader of the Opposition, an essential position that guarantees basic checks and balances in Parliament. And it is not because the Dominica Labour Party destroyed the opposition, it is because the opposition destroyed itself.
Imagine the irony: while the Dominica Labour Party runs virtually unopposed in elections, these two are still too proud to make a joint statement, sign a letter, or even sit in a room together to resolve the matter like adults. The people of Marigot and Salisbury voted for independence, not independence from common sense.
It is no wonder Dominicans are disillusioned with politics. If even the last two voices outside the ruling regime can not cooperate, then what hope is there for coalition building, reform, or national unity?
And of course, where is Roosevelt Skerrit? Sitting comfortably, laughing and watching the so-called “opposition” implode, he did not have to lift a finger. And why would he? When your only two opponents are too stubborn to cooperate, the ruling party does not need to suppress the opposition; it just has to wait for them to self-destruct.
The Dominica Labour Party did not cause this particular crisis. The opposition collapsed on its own. Charles and Paul‑Victor came into Parliament as rare exceptions, genuinely independent voices in a system dominated by political loyalty, party machinery, and rubber-stamped obedience. They had the opportunity to rise above the usual tribalism politics and show the country a new model of cooperation. Instead;
- Where is the media coverage?
- Where are the voices of civil society?
- Where is the public outrage?
This is Dominica’s real crisis. Not just a missing Opposition Leader, but a missing political culture. A culture where accountability is an afterthought, where outrage is muted, and where dysfunction is met with shrugs, silence, or blind loyalty to Red or Blue.
What Charles and Paul‑Victor have done is not just a personal failure; it is a betrayal of the people who elected them. They were not voted in to compete with each other for titles. They were voted in to represent, challenge, and fight for their communities. Instead, they are fighting over a title while the country is left without an official opposition voice in Parliament.
So maybe we take his seriously and stop pretending this is surprising. This is a pattern, a long, depressing pattern Dominica knows too well. We have watched political parties implode from within, community groups fracture over personality clashes, and promising movements stall because no one wants to step aside for the greater good. We have watched people cry out for change on Facebook, only to stay silent in real life. We have grown numb to corruption, tribalism, and stagnation because it is all we have known for far too long.
Dominica does not need more political actors chasing fancy titles. We need servants of the people, not slaves to ego. If Paul‑Victor and Charles cannot rise above petty squabbling, then neither deserves to lead anything, let alone the Opposition.
This Is Exactly Why The NEW Dominica Reform Party (DRP) Was Formed.
We are done with the political soap operas. We are done with fake unity, broken backroom deals, and self-serving leaders more interested in titles than transformation. The NEW Dominica Reform Party (DRP) is about Direct Democracy, putting power where it belongs, in the hands of the people, not a few personalities battling over seats and labels.
We are here to end the infighting. To end the dependency on so-called “leaders” who think they are irreplaceable. We believe in a bottom-up system, where the people decide, participate, and hold every decision-maker accountable, regardless of the office they hold.
Dominica can not afford to keep waiting for better leaders to magically emerge. We have to build a better system and become the leadership we are waiting for.
That is the mission of the NEW Dominica Reform Party (DRP). Not to fight for titles, but to fight for the people.
Team DRP