Dominica News Online:  

It appears that Dominica will be having another political party when the next general election comes along.

New York-based Sapphire Carrington officially announced on state-owned DBS Radio that her party, People’s Party of Dominica (P-POD), will be contesting the next poll.

“I Sapphire Carrington, formerly known as Claudine Williams, that was my birth name, is officially announcing today on DBS that my candidacy as a parliament rep for Dominica, it’s for sure,” she stated on Monday morning.

The head of P-POD said Dominica is at a point where positive change is necessary.

“We are at the point in our history where positive change is a must in Dominica,” she stated. “We have a clear message as a political party. Our approach and methods are clear. It is simple: 17 developmental goals, 169 targets, 214 indicators, all to be achieved by 2030.”

She described members of the party as “progress leaders” who are ready, willing and able “to move Dominica forward to a sustainable future.”

Carrington said the ruling Dominica Labor Party (DLP) has been a failure.

“The Dominica Labour Party Government has not successfully lowered the public debt despite accepting bailouts much less to do so on a successful basis,” she noted. “Projects to boost the economy that they’ve put in place have proved to be a total failure. The DLP administration lacks the ability to generate adequate revenue through legal and sustainable means. The DLP-led administration has failed to formulate policies that can safeguard and improve our economy. Migration of our youth has increased tremendously, chiefly because of lack of jobs and lack of better-paying jobs.”

She said further that the standard of living and quality of life have not improved on the island.

“They failed to raise the minimum wage,” she remarked. “Workforce development has not been aligned with the needs of the country. They fail to provide incentives to locals to encourage and to support their business endeavors. They fail to present a strong, sustainable economic plan.”

She stated that P-POD is not an alternative to the DLP but a party with solutions.

“We have people who are competent in various areas,” she said without identifying the people. “We have the people who are competent to move our economy forward.”