DISCAIMER: All views and claims expressed in this article belong solely to the author.
In Response to Philosopher-At-Large, Kenny Green
By Yvor Nassief
Philosopher-At-Large, Kenny Green, has surfaced. A noteworthy and blessed event, since he spends most of his time in profound and consequential thought, as we can see.
Kenny suggests I resigned as a DAIC board member to force the resignation of DAIC President Olive Strachan so that the Vice President, Tahera Musgrave Robinson, would become President. Apparently, I’m more capable than I give myself credit for. My resignation was a private decision based on principle.
The process to generate a new voters list has been fraught by mismanagement and misunderstanding. The net result is that the number of those eligible to vote as of October 14th 2026 was about 60% of the number of people who voted in 2019. How can anyone be conformable with this? The request for a 3-month extension was a fair and reasonable one. Contrary to what Kenny says, Gregor Nassief neither authored nor signed that letter.
All DAIC board members agreed that the 3-month extension was a fair request, except the President. Any disagreement was about language and whether we should sign on to the Dominica Business Forum letter or write independently. From all indications, President Strachan had no intention of signing any letter. This, in addition to several other incidents of what I consider fecklessness, is what led me to resign. I will touch on a few of them.
Incident # 1. Kenny’s previous surfacing was regarding the government’s announcement in this year’s budget that there would be no more cascading of VAT on excise taxes. The way it was presented in the budget and projected by Kenny Green was that it would lead to a drop in the prices of basic goods. That was incorrect and he clearly misunderstood the issue.
The removal of the compounding calculations will have no effect on the majority of basic goods. I will leave it to Kenny to figure out why.
The DAIC board was asked by members to address this matter as the public was incorrectly led to expect reduced prices. We know the rest of the story only too well. The private sector would again be criticized for not passing on the “savings”, a criticism the government habitually nurtures. The President showed no appetite to address this.
The DAIC, in writing, publicly commended the government on the budget. I helped to draft that letter. Regardless, incorrect statements or analyses that can undermine the private sector must be addressed.
Incident # 2. Board members and members at large voiced concern over the PM’s public reference to AID Bank client loan information and requested that the Chamber address the matter. Client information should always be treated with the strictest confidence. Again, the President demurred.
Incident # 3. It came to my attention 7 months ago that a company connected to a Minister of Government had been granted a consultancy contract for the Saudi Arabia-funded Roseau improvement project. That struck me as incestuous and plantation style. My simple question to the board was: are we comfortable with this and can we at least inquire whether there was a tender? Once again, the board, led by the President, neglected to deal with the matter. This despite the debacle of the Grammar school roof, the details of which the public remains ignorant.
Every opportunity Ms. Strachan had to ask a deeper question or to seek clarification from the authorities, she shied away from it. I am not sure what is the relevance of the MBE bestowed on her by Ǫueen Elizabeth. Kenny citing this as some sort of sacrosanct credential which makes one beyond reproach is the epitome of the plantation mentality. Ǫueen Elizabeth might have been his Ǫueen, not mine!
As a former President of the DAIC, is Kenny comfortable with silence on these issues? Silence is a slippery downhill road. Is this something we want to encourage? I was aghast that Robbie Tonge remained Minister of Tourism well after it was clear that First Domestic was not able to settle insurance claims from several hotels. Both DAIC and DHTA should have called for his resignation. Kenny was President of DAIC at that time. This is not personal about Robbie. People put their trust in his family company and placed their property insurance with it; he was given the privilege of being the caretaker of the tourism industry and its stakeholders, and several of them can’t rebuild their hotels because First Domestic is unable to pay. Surely Robbie should have been sensitive to the situation and stepped down. But on the plantation riddled with incest, no one cares.
This leads us to Kenny’s plantation analogy. For a young man with his exposure, to be pedaling the political dog-whistles of the 1960s, 70s and perhaps the 80s is revealing. My family arrived in Dominica 100 years ago, well after slavery was abolished. When my grandfather came here, so-called country people came to Roseau barefoot because the Roseau merchant class had little interest in their well-being. It was my grandfather and the other Lebanese merchants who first imported shoes affordable enough so country folk could come to Roseau with dignity. It was the same Lebanese who went out to the rural areas and, for the first time, sold goods to country shopkeepers on credit! Whether he knows it or not and whether he likes it or not, Comrade Kenny has more plantation pedigree than I can ever muster.
Finally, Kenny refers to a “politically agnostic Chamber….”. I have no issue with that. Here is my definition of agnostic. The Chamber when addressing matters of interest and concern to the private sector, must do so without fear or favor whether in its dealings with government, opposition or civil society. All the issues I have mentioned above should be of concern to the private sector and fall within this definition, as does DAIC’s commendation of the budget. It seems Kenny’s definition is to stay quiet and let the government say and do as it pleases. That is not being agnostic, it is burying your head in the sand, a predicament common to Philosophers-At-Large.
I’m sharing this so the public can have a more balanced view since I am the focus of Kenny Green’s article. I resigned; I did not force any resignation from the President. Only the DAIC board and Ms. Strachan can comment on why she resigned. This attempt at “hushing” rightful queries by attempting to insult the intelligence and integrity of the now sitting President, is cheap and shameful.
I have addressed all of Kenny’s contentions. He may or may not address mine. But to do so will require more than a brief surfacing splash. He will have to dwell long enough and take in some sunlight and fresh air.
