There is a powerful reggae song by Admiral Tibet called Envious People. It is not just music. It is a warning. A mirror. A lesson made for a country like ours that has been stuck too long in the same place while being told we are moving forward.
Admiral’s song opens with a simple instruction – don’t be greedy, don’t be evil, be righteous. That alone should be a national standard of leadership. Because when greed replaces service, when evil replaces accountability, and when righteousness is mocked instead of respected, a country does not move forward; it only moves backward.
Admiral speaks about “bad-minded, deceitful, and covetous people” who do not want to see others progress.
In a healthy society, leadership celebrates the success of its people. In a sick society, leadership fears it. And when Roosevelt Skerrit and his administration became afraid of educated citizens, independent thinkers, journalists, entrepreneurs, or political alternatives, they did everything in their power to keep our people looking backward instead of forward.
For nearly two decades, Roosevelt Skerrit and his administration have told Dominicans that this is as good as it gets in Dominica. That dependency is normal. That questioning power is disloyal. That asking where the money is going is troublemaking. That is not leadership – that is control.
Admiral also reminds us that the road is hard, that it is rough, that it is tough. That is the truth. Real nation-building is not easy. But Admiral says something extremely important: “I don’t believe in giving up.” That is the spirit of Dominica, not handouts, not fear, not silence, but perseverance, dignity, and work.
Admiral talks about people whose hearts are full of grudge, who always want to be above, who will work iniquity just to achieve vanity.
That line cuts deep because vanity politics is exactly what has replaced vision in our country. Roosevelt Skerrit and his administration’s Big Speeches, Big Promises, Big Egos – but ordinary Dominicans still struggling to put a solid roof over their heads, still watching their children leave, still working hard without getting ahead.
And then comes the Admiral’s moral anchor “By the sweat of your brow, we all shall eat bread.” Not by favours. Not by party loyalty. Not by citizenship for sale. Not by political obedience. But by honest work, fair systems, and equal opportunity.
Admiral warns workers that there will be a reckoning. Not just a spiritual one, but a social and political one. Because no system built on deception, fear, and division lasts forever. History proves that. The Caribbean proves that. And Dominica will prove that.
But the Admiral’s speech is not only a warning. It is also a vision. The song speaks of a place of love, happiness, unity, and gladness. That place is not imaginary. That place is possible, right here in Dominica, if we choose transparency over secrecy, unity over division, courage over fear, and reform over stagnation.
The Dominica Reform Party exists because we believe this country deserves to move forward, not backward. I believe leadership should lift people, not hold them down. I believe politics should serve the people, not the other way around.
So to the forces of bad mind, deceit, and envy – whether they sit in high office or hide behind party loyalty, my message is simple: step aside. Dominica is ready to walk forward with its head held high. It will be rough, it will be tough. I don’t believe in giving up.
And when the trumpet of accountability finally blows, every leader will have to answer where they chose to run – toward the people, or away from them.
