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Preamble
So, a by- election is upon us. The battle for constituency representation from Marigot is over, and the quest for future leadership continues. Dominica seems to be at the crossroads of the debate between healthy politics, good governance, civic debate and civil decency.
Having regard to the rising tide of intolerance and internal strife that looms on the horizon, and observing the concerning level of intolerance in the Dominican political, social, civil, and even religious landscape, and observing the level of bitterness that is emerging among fellow Dominicans, and the sorrowful, divisive Marigot nomination contest, not to mention the mushrooming, growing divide among Dominicans on party Political postures, sadly my heart is sad, therefore my concerns have urged, inspired and motivated me to address these issues keeping in mind the following key areas of concern:
1. responsible leadership
2. democracy and public trust
3. strong institutions
4. unity across disagreement
5. respectful treatment of opponents
6. serious policymaking
7. citizen responsibility
8. resisting cynicism and despair
Dear Dominicans- (My fellow Dominicans)
Today, I want to speak about something larger than one country, one election, one leader, or one political moment. I want to speak about the kind of public life we build together, and the kind of society we leave behind for those who come after us.
Every nation, every community, and every generation faces moments when its values are tested. Sometimes those tests come through elections. Sometimes they come through crisis, conflict, hardship, or fear. Sometimes they come quietly, through small decisions that seem ordinary at the time but slowly shape the character of a people.
The question in those moments is not only who wins or loses power. The deeper question is whether we still believe that power should be exercised with humility, responsibility, restraint, and respect for the people it is meant to serve.
Democracy is not simply a system of voting. It is a discipline. It is a habit. It is the daily work of accepting that no person, no party, no office, and no movement is greater than the law, greater than the truth, or greater than the dignity of the people.
It depends on institutions that are strong enough to withstand pressure and honest enough to correct themselves. It depends on courts that can act independently, journalists who can ask difficult questions, public servants who put duty above loyalty, and citizens who understand that freedom requires more than applause when our own side is winning.
The health of a society can often be measured by how it treats disagreement. It is easy to speak of unity when everyone in the room already agrees. The real test comes when we face opponents, critics, rivals, and people whose views challenge our own.
In those moments, we must remember that opponents are not enemies simply because they oppose us. They are still members of the same society. They still share the same streets, schools, workplaces, hopes, fears, and future. If we forget that, politics becomes a battlefield where victory matters more than the common good.
That does not mean pretending that all ideas are equal, or that harmful conduct should be excused. It does not mean silence in the face of corruption, cruelty, discrimination, violence, or abuse of power. But it does mean that we must respond in ways that strengthen the system rather than destroy it.
Norms matter. Traditions matter. Peaceful transitions of authority matter. Respect for institutions matters. The willingness to sit at the same table with people we disagree with matters. These things may seem ceremonial, but they are part of the architecture that holds public trust together.
When those norms are broken, the damage is rarely immediate. It happens gradually. One insult at a time. One lie at a time. One abuse of power at a time. One refusal to respect a fair result at a time. One decision to treat opponents as enemies rather than fellow citizens at a time. Then, one day, people look around and wonder when trust disappeared.
Leadership is not ownership. A public office does not belong to the person who holds it. It is borrowed for a season and then passed on. Those who lead are temporary stewards of responsibilities that existed before them and will continue after them.
That is why conduct by public officials matters. Words matter. Restraint matters. The way leaders speak about opponents, judges, journalists, public servants, minorities, and ordinary citizens teaches people what is acceptable. When leaders mock, divide, threaten, or demean, they do not merely wound individuals; they weaken the standards by which public life is judged. This, by extension, ought to be the beholden ideal attitude of every citizen.
Policy also matters. Serious decisions about security, health, education, the economy, justice, climate, technology, and peace cannot be reduced to slogans or personal rivalries. Behind every policy debate are real families, real workers, real communities, and real consequences.
Responsible government requires more than winning an argument. It requires evidence, patience, honesty, and a willingness to be accountable when decisions succeed and when they fail. It requires leaders who understand that public service is not performance; it is duty.
Unity, then, is not the absence of disagreement. Unity is the decision to remain committed to shared rules, shared dignity, and shared responsibility even when disagreement is deep. It is the belief that our future is tied together, whether we like it or not.
There will always be voices that profit from division. There will always be people who gain attention by humiliating others, spreading fear, or turning every issue into a contest of resentment. But a healthy society cannot be built on permanent outrage. It cannot be governed by contempt.
The harder path is the better one: to listen without surrendering conviction, to argue without abandoning respect, to compromise without betraying principle, and to oppose wrongdoing without losing our own sense of decency.
This responsibility does not belong only to presidents, prime ministers, ministers, legislators, judges, mayors, or officials. It belongs to all of us. Every citizen helps set the tone of public life. Every conversation, every vote, every act of courage, every refusal to spread hatred, and every choice to tell the truth matters.
So do not give in to cynicism. Cynicism tells us that nothing can change, that all leaders are the same, that truth does not matter, that institutions cannot be saved, and that participation is pointless. Cynicism is comfortable, but it is also surrender.
Do not give in to despair either. Despair forgets that every right, every reform, every peaceful transfer of power, every improvement in justice, and every expansion of freedom was made possible by people who kept going when progress seemed unlikely.
Show up. Pay attention. Vote where voting is possible. Speak where speech is permitted. Organize where organization is needed. Defend the vulnerable. Question those in power. Protect the truth. Demand better not only from those you oppose, but also from those you support.
A society is not held together by perfect agreement. It is held together by people who understand that disagreement must have boundaries, that power must have limits, that freedom must have responsibility, and that human dignity must never depend on which side wins.
That is the work before us. It is not easy work. It is often slow, frustrating, and imperfect. But it is the work that keeps communities free, institutions honest, and hope alive.
And if we do that work together—across differences, across disappointment, across fear—we can build public life worthy of the people it is meant to serve.
