The Dominica Business Forum (DBF) has released the rules that will govern Wednesday night’s public discussion involving candidates contesting the Roseau North by-election, emphasizing that the event will be a civilized public discussion rather than a political debate. The forum, scheduled for Wednesday, July 29, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Auditorium of the Dominica China Friendship Hospital, is intended to give electors an opportunity to hear directly from the candidates in an orderly and respectful setting.
The DBF says that the persons who have declared their candidacy – Danny Lugay of the United Workers Party, the DLP’s Ashma McDougall and Sherman Boston who’s running as an Independent, have all been invited to participate in the discussion.
According to the rules circulated by the DBF, moderators will chair the discussion impartially, while candidates will draw lots to determine the order of their presentations. Each candidate will be allotted seven minutes for an opening presentation, after which moderators may ask one follow-up question. Audience members selected by the moderators will then be invited to pose questions, with each candidate receiving an equal number of questions. Individual questions will be limited to one minute, while candidates will have up to three minutes to respond.
The guidelines also prohibit arguments between candidates, personal attacks and character assassination. All questions and comments must be directed through the moderators, and audience members will be limited to asking one question or making one statement without follow-up. Applause will be permitted only during the introduction of participants and at the close of the event, and anyone who disrupts the proceedings or violates the rules may be asked to leave the hall. The entire discussion is expected to last no more than two hours.
The public discussion is being organized by the Dominica Business Forum, a non-profit organization that has said it wants to promote an educational and respectful exchange of ideas ahead of the Roseau North by-election. The forum follows the DBF’s earlier call for a public discussion among the candidates, noting that Dominica has not witnessed such an electoral exchange in more than two decades. The organization invited all candidates contesting the by-election to outline their plans for the constituency and the country while encouraging greater public engagement in the electoral process.
The event’s agenda includes the national anthem, prayer, welcome, opening remarks by the DBF, the introduction of moderators and candidates, candidates’ presentations, audience questions, closing remarks and a vote of thanks. Broadcast journalists Kaywana Fontaine-Wilson and Matthias Peltier Jr. will serve as moderators.
The link to the document containing the program and rules for the discussion is posted below.
