Delbert Paris: Social assistance programs that benefit Dominicans are necessary

Opposition Senator Delbert Paris recently advocated the position that the government social assistance programs, established for the benefit of Dominicans, are necessary.

He made the statement while addressing parliament on Friday.

The political leader of the United Workers Party (UWP) Dr. Thomson Fontaine has criticized the National Employment Programme (NEP) stating that it needs to be improved.

During a press conference in June 2024, he said in its current form, the programme is “not serving the country well.”

The following year, in June 2025, while speaking to residents based in Roseau Fontaine said all manipulative economic policies would be removed and all safety net and social programs would be upgraded, “providing greater resources, services and financial assistance to all elderly citizens.” on the agenda of an elected UWP government.

“Anybody that is suggesting that you should reduce and remove social assistance programs with the disadvantaged people of Dominica, I would like to categorically distance myself from that,” Paris remarked.

According to him, the social assistance programs for the people of Dominica is something that is necessary.

“It is our responsibility as a government and as people in Dominica to take care of disadvantaged people,” he said. “Mr. Speaker, on very serious note,  we have to understand the value of taking care of people who can’t take care of themselves.  And Prime Minister alluded to it, people will try to abuse the programs, and monitoring and control  and efficiency and ethics will assist us with managing that.”

He said some of the people who wants to take [unethical] advantage of these social assistance programs “are our  friends, and we must stop them.”

“We must call them out,” Paris remarked.