A recent article featuring “Dr.” Machel Emanuel raises critical questions about the growing reliance on academic titles in public service.
Appointed in April 2025 as a Technical Consultant Advisor to Dominica’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Blue and Green Economy, “Dr.” Emanuel holds a Ph.D. in Botany, the scientific study of plants. One would automatically assume such a role would focus on food security, local crop development, or sustainable farming solutions for Dominican communities. Nope, instead, the appointment centers on the pointless and dead dream of cannabis legislation and the development of a leading to nowhere, medicinal cannabis sector.
This situation underscores a concerning and expanding trend: the use of the title “Doctor” not as a marker of practical skill or lived experience, but as a mechanism of power, elitism, and political gatekeeping. Titles once earned through decades of critical service, particularly in the medical field, are now casually acquired and flaunted to suggest superior fitness for leadership, regardless of real world understanding.
Historically, the term “Doctor” referred to medical professionals who heal the sick and operate within the highest ethical standards. Today, however, a growing number of individuals acquire non-medical Ph.D’s, sometimes through dubious online programs and then present themselves as authoritative experts on matters well outside their learned academic scope. This has helped foster a culture where degrees are treated as prerequisites for public office, policy consultation, or government employment, regardless of whether they offer any practical value to our nation.
This trend also exposes a deeper, more troubling issue. The chronic underfunding and neglect of Dominica’s healthcare system.
While the government rushes to parade individuals with Ph.D’s (many from obscure institutions or quick online programs) as “Doctors” in public office, our hospitals remain understaffed, our clinics under-equipped, and our communities underserved. The proud and noble title of “Doctor,” once reserved for those who dedicated 10 to 15 years of their lives to learning, saving lives and healing the sick, is now being handed out as a political prop.
True doctors study for over a decade, endure gruelling training, and face life-and-death decisions every day. They are the backbone of any nation’s health and safety. And yet, in Dominica, they are often overworked, underpaid, and denied the resources they need to serve the public properly. Meanwhile, this government flaunts individuals with unrelated Ph.D’s as though they are the intellectual elite who should lead our nation. It is not only misleading, it is disrespectful!
This government has allowed the once-respected title of Doctor to be reduced to a hollow political status symbol, while the real health crises in Dominica go ignored. Patients wait hours just to see a nurse. Clinics operate without basic medication. Trained doctors are leaving the island in search of better opportunities.
Instead of strengthening Dominica’s broken healthcare system, the government continues to hire so-called Doctors to consult on and oversee a wide range of government policies. Meanwhile, real medical professionals—those trained to care for the health of our nation are being sidelined, underfunded, and ignored.
This is not just an insult to the medical field. It is a failure of leadership and a betrayal of every Dominican who deserves access to proper healthcare.
This misuse of the title does not just cheapen the word “Doctor”; it reveals the governments complete disconnect from the realities on the ground. It shows a government more interested in optics and ego than in the well-being of our people. It sends the message that academic titles, earned in classrooms, or, in most cases, on computer screens, are more valued than the lived expertise of those on the front lines of public service.
Dominica cannot afford to play politics with titles while its healthcare system is in decline. Real doctors in Dominica, need real support, not disrespect. Real patients need real care, not political pageantry.
Until the Dominica Labour Government and the united workers Party understands that titles do not save lives, investments in healthcare do. Dominica will continue to fall behind. Our nation needs fewer advisors with inflated credentials and more doctors with stethoscopes, hospital beds, and the tools they need to heal.
When ‘Dr.’ Became The Price Of Power In Dominica.
A Ph.D regardless of discipline, does not equip its holder to understand the lived realities of farmers, builders, tradespeople, or small business owners. Yet the Dominica Labour Party and the United Workers Party continues to prioritize individuals with these titles while marginalizing the very people who build and sustain our country.
This is not about merit; it is about maintaining control. This elitist mentality has been imported from global politics. In the United States, the issue came to public attention in 2020 when First Lady Jill Biden, who holds a Ph.D. in Education, insisted on always being addressed as “Dr.” in political settings, despite the title having no direct relevance to governance or leadership. The symbolism was clear: she believed that only the highly credentialed deserve a seat at the table. Dominica appears to be following a similar path.
Both the Dominica Labour Party and the United Workers Party have contributed to erecting a formidable barrier between the people and political power. Over the years, it has become clear that government appointments are increasingly reserved for the academically privileged, often individuals who lack firsthand knowledge of the communities they are meant to serve. Today, it appears that simply having “Dr.” in front of one’s name has become the new threshold for government employment and political credibility.
But degrees do not build roads. Academic credentials do not lower food prices, create jobs, or restore trust in public institutions. This current government now ignores lived experience in favour of academic prestige and has inevitably lost touch with the needs of our people.
Economics Or Revenge? The Truth Behind Thomson Fontaine’s Plan To Halt The Dominica Labour Party’s International Airport.
This disconnect becomes even more apparent when examining recent statements by “Dr.” Thomson Fontaine, who holds a Ph.D. in Economics. Despite his academic background, “Dr.” Fontaine has announced that, if elected, he intends to “halt” the construction of Dominica’s international airport. A project decades in the making and long awaited by our Dominican people. The building of our international airport has the potential to fundamentally reshape the nation’s economy by boosting tourism, increasing export capacity, creating jobs, and opening up opportunities for trade and infrastructure development.
Even those without formal education can grasp its long term economic benefits. And here, we have “Dr.” Fontaine, a trained Economist, who says he will “shut down”Halt” this build. Why has this not raised serious questions—not only about his impaired judgment but also about his true priorities?
Despite “Dr” Fontaine’s academic credentials and professional background, his approach to the new international airport build reflects political vindictiveness rather than economic wisdom. The last major attempt to build an international airport, led by the United Workers Party in the late 1990s, was abruptly shut down by the Dominica Labour Party. Now Fontaine seems eager to return the favour. Not because the project is flawed, but because it fits a convenient political narrative.
This is not economic leadership. It is petty revenge dressed up as public policy. Under Fontaine, the United Workers Party is not advancing Dominica’s future. It is sabotaging progress out of bitterness. Fontaine’s actions do not simply target the Dominica Labour Party. They harm every citizen. Everyone feels the blow to their wallet and to our country’s future, no matter what colour shirt they wear.
Fontaine riding back to Dominica after a failed run in South Sudan claiming he came to save Dominica. But from where the NEW Dominica Reform Party (DRP) stands, he did not bring solutions. He brought old grudges. Fontaine’s decisions to “hat” the international airport appears cold, calculated, and careless. That is not the leadership Dominica needs. This is not how a serious economist like “Dr.” Fontaine is supposed to act when the lives and livelihoods of an entire nation are on the line.
All Dominicans will bear the consequences of Fontaine’s old political score-settling. National development must be driven by vision, not vendettas. If Fontaine, an individual with a Ph.D. in Economics, fails to recognize the generational value of critical infrastructure like an international airport, then perhaps his qualifications are being overvalued.
The Politics Of Intimidation: How Academic Elitism Excludes Our People.
The rising obsession with titles and credentials is a thinly veiled form of intimidation meant to signal that only the educated elite have the right to lead, legislate, or speak on behalf of the public in government. It tells the hard Dominican working-class citizens, community organizers, and local business owners that they are unqualified to participate in the democratic process unless they possess academic validation, so stay in your lane and out of our house.
This mindset is not only unjust, it is dangerous. It disempowers those with practical wisdom, deep community ties, and lived experience. And it enshrines a culture in which academic privilege is equated with leadership ability.
Politics must not become the private playground of the credentialed elite. Effective leadership demands more than classroom theory. It requires empathy, resilience, accountability, and an unshakable connection to the everyday struggles of the people.
The future of Dominica mcan not be built not by those who boast degrees but by those who understand sacrifice, hardship, and the urgent need for change by people like you. Leadership must stay with those who serve with action, not titles.
Enough with the academic showmanship. Enough with trying to exclude real hard working people from decision-making. Dominica’s future belongs not to the elite, but to every citizen, title or no title and the NEW Dominica Reform Party (DRP) will do this with Direct Democracy.
Make no mistake, this is about intimidation. It is about making working class people feel small, unqualified, and unworthy of participating in the political process. They wave these titles around like weapons to send the message: “If you do not have a degree, stay out of the conversation.” They want politics to remain an exclusive club for the privileged, the ones with fancy papers, inherited wealth, and insider connections while ordinary and hard working Dominica citizens are made to feel like outsiders in their own country.
It is a control tactic designed to protect the system that benefits them and leaves you behind. These titles do not reflect real-world skills, common sense, leadership ability, or compassion for the struggles people face. They reflect one thing, the ability to play the academic and political game, a game rigged from the start.
For more than 30 years, Dominica’s Parliament has been filled with highly educated individuals, people with degrees, titles, and impressive resumes. Yet, after all this time, what have their credentials truly done for our Dominican people? The reality is stark and disappointing. Despite their academic achievements, our country still faces persistent poverty, high unemployment, inadequate healthcare, crumbling infrastructure, and widespread corruption.
It begs the question, has having a building full of “educated politicians” translated into meaningful progress? The answer is clear, NO. Their so-called expertise has not delivered better jobs, affordable living, or improved public services. Instead, many have been entangled in political infighting, corruption scandals, and self-interest, leaving hard working, everyday citizens to bear the brunt of failed promises and broken trust.
Education does not guarantee leadership, wisdom, or a genuine commitment to our people. For too long, academic elitism has been used as a shield to exclude real voices from politics, while those with degrees have largely failed to address the urgent needs of the nation.
Dominica deserves leaders who understand and prioritize the lived realities of our people. It is time to stop equating degrees with competence and start demanding results that actually improve lives. It is time to break down these walls the elites politicians have built around politics. The hardworking people of Dominica deserve to be heard, respected, and included, regardless of whether they have letters in front of their name.
Enough with the fake titles. Enough with the intimidation. Real solutions come from the ground up, not from academic ivory towers. This is what the NEW Dominica Reform Party (DRP) stands for: grassroots government. The NEW Dominica Reform Party (DRP) stands with the people, degree or no degree. The future belongs to all of us, not just the elites.
Team DRP