Bernard Hurtault, Leader of the Dominica Freedom Party, recently posted a comment on one of our Facebook posts that was not just upsetting, it was a glaring revelation of the elitist poison infecting our political landscape.
Bernard Hurtault said, “It’s important. If one plans to develop a country, I want to know you have the ambition and intellect to have at least made an effort to educate yourself. If you have not had the resourcefulness and drive to do that, why should I believe you have what it takes to create opportunities for me?”
We want to be clear that the NEW Dominica Reform Party (DRP) does not care about the Dominica Freedom Party in today’s political landscape because they have been irrelevant for 30 years. What makes them relevant now is the arrogant elitism of their leader, a man who has been in charge for just over four years and believes only those with formal education deserve a say in our country’s future.
Think about it, Bernard Hurtault fearlessly has said that if you are a farmer, a security guard, a vendor, a stay at home parent, an unemployed student who could not afford college, a mini bus driver, or someone who never finished high school, you have no role, no voice, and no business in the Dominica Freedom Party government. Your opinions do not matter unless you have “made an effort to educate yourself.” This is not leadership; it is a blatant insult and a slap in the face to the very people who build and sustain our nation every single day.
Yet, when election time rolls around, Bernard Hurtault will be the first to come knocking on these uneducated doors, asking for your vote, begging for your support from the very people he dismisses and belittles. It is hypocrisy at its worst. This kind of elitist arrogance reveals the underlying issue with government in Dominica. They want your trust and your vote, but they refuse to respect your voice and your worth unless you fit into their narrow definition of “educated.”
They see you as nothing more than a number, a means to an end, rather than the backbone of this country. Bernard Hurtault’s statement is a cruel reminder that too many so-called leaders treat ordinary Dominicans as disposable until they need something from them. That kind of leadership will never serve the people; it only serves the interests of a privileged few who believe they are better than the rest of us.
This is the same elitist mindset we see from Roosevelt Skerrit and Thomson Fontaine, the very reason they all fear Direct Democracy. Because Direct Democracy strips power away from their small, self-serving clique and places it back into the hands of ordinary citizens like you. And make no mistake, even Bernard Hurtault, despite being politically irrelevant for decades, understands this. That is why he has no problem openly telling you that you have no right to influence how your government is run unless you hold a formal degree. In other words, if you are a hardworking farmer, a bus driver, a vendor, a construction worker, or simply someone who did not have the privilege of attending university, Bernard Hurtault believes your voice should be ignored… until, of course, election time rolls around and he suddenly wants your vote.
Look no further than Roosevelt Skerrit himself. He parades the “Dr.” title before his name because he knows the psychological weight it carries with the average Dominican citizen. But do not be fooled. Skerrit’s so-called Doctor of Literature was not earned through years of study or academic achievement; it was gifted to him as a political gift by Lovely Professional University in India. The university name alone sounds more like a shady roadside casino and brothel in Las Vegas than a respected academic institution. And just like the institution, the degree itself is a joke, an empty badge of prestige used to manipulate public perception.
Yet Skerrit’s fake “Dr.” title is more than just a vanity label; it is a calculated psychological weapon. He wields it to manipulate and fool his followers into believing he possesses unmatched wisdom and qualifications. But strip away the illusion, and what remains is a master manipulator also armed with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in English. He uses these credentials not to uplift or empower his people, but to play mind games, control narratives, and keep the public in a constant state of dependency and obedience. The “Dr.” before his name is not a mark of achievement; it is bait for the gullible.
Do you honestly believe it is an accident that Skerrit, once the youngest prime minister in the world and now Dominica’s longest-serving, has presided over the systematic destruction of this country? This is the man who siphoned off Citizenship By Investment funds and engineered a political Stockholm Syndrome so deep that most Dominicans do not even realize they are prisoners. This was not chance, it was his design. The blueprint for his rule was laid as far back as his days at New Mexico State University and later at the University of Mississippi, where he learned exactly how to manipulate minds, consolidate power, and build a political machine that feeds off loyalty, fear, and dependency.
He used his psychology degree like a weapon to scheme and manipulate Bernard Hurtault and Thomson Fontaine into stepping aside in the last election, convincing them they had no chance before a single vote was cast. Then, with his English degree, he spun the narrative so well that they walked away without realizing they had been outplayed. This was not just politics; it was psychological warfare. Skerrit managed to sideline two “proven” economists, men with alleged far greater expertise in managing an economy than he could ever claim, by making them believe their defeat was inevitable. Thomson Fontaine, the player, got played. Bernard Hurtault, the strategist, got checkmated. And the people of Dominica? They were robbed of a real choice before they even reached a single ballot box.
Also, do not think Fontaine is innocent in this game. He flaunts his “Dr.” title, insisting people call him that, as a constant reminder that he thinks he is better than you. Yet behind that facade, he fled to South Sudan as a wanted fugitive for inciting violent protests. The very same man who abandoned his followers here, leaving them to face jail time and charges alone, while he lived and worked comfortably abroad, while chaos reigned at home.
If you think Fontaine does not use his education to manipulate people, then explain why so many of those he abandoned after the protest still blindly support him. It is because he has brainwashed them; this is called political Stockholm Syndrome, and they do not even realize it.
Fontaine’s so-called 10-pillar plan is nothing more than a recycled failure, the same plan he tried to sell in South Sudan, where it collapsed spectacularly and was rejected. After losing his job overseas, instead of stepping back or rethinking his approach, he came home to Dominica and simply repackaged that same failed plan, pushing it again as if it were new. All of this was done to keep himself employed as the United Workers Party leader and maintain a grip on political power.
Why does this work? Because his formal education taught him the art of manipulation — how to convince everyday people to trust him, even when his ideas have already been proven to fail. It is a classic example of political Stockholm Syndrome, where the perpetrator recycles the same empty promises over and over, while relying on his ability to sway and control the public into not realizing he is the real problem. The cycle continues because people are trapped in a pattern of misplaced loyalty, unable to see that their supposed leader is the very source of their frustration and setbacks.
You see, what Skerrit, Fontaine, and Hurtault fear most is any individual who asks questions and someone who cannot be manipulated because they do not blindly trust. That is the card they all play. They prey on your trust, your desperation, and your unwillingness to inform yourself.
Skerrit and Fontaine wield these “Dr.” titles as physiological weapons, tools to reinforce their supposed superiority and to silence you with the unspoken message that you do not measure up. That is why they are qualified to lead Dominica, and you are not. They claim to know this country better than you ever could. They believe you lack the common sense to see through their lies and manipulation.
And there is no clearer example of this than when Skerrit claims that no business wants to invest in Dominica because of high electricity rates, he is flat out lying to your face. The Bahamas, Jamaica, Saba, Bermuda, and Bonaire all have equal or even higher electricity rates, and yet they *still* attract business. This is Skerrit using his psychology and English degrees to bullshit you and keep you fooled, spinning excuses while the real issues remain unaddressed.
The lie is so ridiculous, he might as well say businesses do not want to come to Dominica because we have no fresh water, an absurd excuse that anyone with even a bit of common sense can see through. Yet Skerrit uses these empty claims to distract from the real problems and keep you looking the other way while real opportunities slip through our fingers.
Skerrit has carefully plotted his plan, using his psychology degree to understand how minds work and his English degree to present his message with deadly effectiveness. He weaves lies and half-truths so convincingly that he barely even needs to hide them. He knows exactly how to manipulate the fears, hopes, and confusion of a population trapped in a political Stockholm Syndrome — a country so conditioned to accept his lies and empty promises that few dare to question him anymore. This is why he can make outrageous claims, like no business wants to invest here because of high electricity rates, and still maintain his grip on power. Skerrit understands the psychology of control better than anyone and uses language as a weapon to keep Dominicans subdued and compliant.
The NEW Dominica Reform Party (DRP) wants to be very clear that we do not agree with Bernard Hurtault’s elitist belief that only those with formal education are worthy to participate in government or have a say in our country’s future.
At the NEW Dominica Reform Party (DRP), we believe all people are equal, capable, and deserving of a voice in how our nation is run. That is why we stand firmly behind Direct Democracy — putting power for the first time truly in the hands of our people, regardless of their background, occupation, or level of formal education. Everyone, from farmers and vendors to stay-at-home parents and students, has a vital role to play in shaping Dominica’s future.
We do not wield formal education as a weapon against you. We are just like you — vendors, young people, farmers, self-employed workers, customer service employees at local restaurants, security guards, stay-at-home parents, and so many others who contribute greatly to meeting the everyday needs of our country.
Unlike Bernard Hurtault and other out-of-touch elitists, we do not look down on you. We applaud you. We respect you. We recognize the immense value you bring to Dominica every single day — even if, for whatever reason, you have been unable to pursue formal education.
We see and appreciate the farmers feeding our nation, the small business owners keeping our communities alive, our youth full of energy and ideas, and the hardworking families supporting each other through thick and thin. The NEW Dominica Reform Party (DRP) recognizes that you are the backbone of Dominica. And remember that every dog has its day; many who are at the bottom today will rise to the top tomorrow, thanks to Direct Democracy. And we will not forget the current so-called “leaders” with their fancy degrees and fake titles who tried to keep the working class down and silence your voices.
This government does more than just fail you; they try to humiliate you, belittle your efforts, and strip away your self-worth. They look down on hardworking Dominicans, as if you are less than, dismissing your voices and your contributions. They use their formal education and power as a weapon to make you feel small, to silence you, and to keep you trapped in a system that benefits only themselves. But your value is real. Your strength, your resilience, and your determination are real and are what truly keeps Dominica alive; no fancy degree or title can ever change that.
There is a reason Roosevelt Skerrit chose Psychology and English, these fields give him the tools to read, manipulate, and persuade people with precision. And if you are a Dominica Labour Party or United Workers Party supporter, you can not honestly sit back, look at this situation, and say there is “nothing to it.” Where there is smoke, there is a fire.
We at the NEW Dominica Reform Party (DRP) ask you to stop and think about the last 25 years, a full quarter of a century and ask yourself: are things truly better? Yes, of course, there has been some progress; time moves forward, and change happens. But are we at par with St. Lucia, the Bahamas, Jamaica, Grenada, Barbados, St. Kitts and Nevis? No, we are not, even though we all started from similar positions. That gap is the real measure of progress, and by that measure, we are falling behind.
So why are we not at the same level as our neighbours? And why are so many of us so quick to protect a political party at all costs? That kind of blind loyalty does not come from reason, it comes from being conditioned into a cult-like mindset. In the U.S., you see it with MAGA; here in Dominica, it is Dominica Labour Party vs. United Workers Party. The hostility, the verbal abuse, the knee-jerk attacksm that is not normal. In places like Canada, you do not see this level of tribalism because they are not trapped in the same cycle of poverty, desperation, and hopelessness that fuels political Stockholm Syndrome.
We have allowed two political parties to divide us as a nation. Politics is not a religion; it is not a lifestyle. It is a process that happens once every five years. Yet here, people cling to it every single day as if it defines their worth. There is more to life than politics, go take a hike, swim in the ocean, spend time with family, enjoy what we have here. Because when you let politics consume you to the point that you attack anyone with a different view, you have already lost, and the government wins.
Some governments thrive on unity, others on division. The U.S. is one example; Canada is another. Which path do we want to follow? If you want to criticize the NEW Dominica Reform Party (DRP), that is fine, but do it by engaging with our Path Forward, not with vague, baseless insults. Let us cut down on the hostility. We are all family, all living on the same small piece of land on this Big Blue Marble.
It is time to talk like adults. We have a lot to teach each other, and the truth is no one is better than anyone else because of their education, status, or political beliefs—PERIOD!
It is also time to unite against a government that refuses to share, refuses to listen, and refuses to work for the people. Together, we can break down the walls they have built to keep us divided and powerless. Team DRP.