by Linda Straker
- Following 1999, 2013 and 2018 General Elections, NNP won all 15 seats in Lower House of Parliament
- Following 2013 and 2018 General Elections, NDC was represented in Lower House
- PM Mitchell said Dominica Labour Party is National Democratic Congress sister party
Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell has disclosed that Roosevelt Skerrit — Dominica’s Prime Minister since 2004 — provided guidance and counsel to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) during the period when the party had no elected members in the Lower House of Parliament and it was on the verge of disintegrating.
Following the 1999, 2013, and 2018 General Elections, the New National Party (NNP) led by Dr Keith Mitchell won all 15 seats in the Lower House of Parliament. However, there was a level of representation in the Upper House because the Governor-General, following instructions in the constitution, appointed 3 people to the opposition side. NDC had representation following the 2013 and 2018 General Elections.
Addressing the Dominica Labour Party (DLP) Delegates Conference on 10 November, PM Mitchell who became the political leader of the ruling National Democratic Congress in 2021, said that the DLP is the NDC sister party. During its period outside of Parliament, Skerrit provided guidance which kept key party members together.
“When my party was going through its tough times, the rough times, it was Roosevelt Skerrit in his capacity as the Leader of the DLP who was there providing counselling and support and encouraging us not to self destruct, encouraging us to stay united, encouraging us, warning us that if there is one thing Caribbean people don’t like is when they put a political party in power instead of working for the people who put you in power you start to fight among yourself for the power that you have,” Mitchell said.
“My party learned that lesson painfully. The people gave us power and instead of working for the people we started to fight among ourselves; we have power that we are not using but, we are fighting for more power,” Mitchell told the DLP delegates.
The NDC, led by Tillman Thomas, won the 2008 General Elections, and in 2012, during the party’s convention, 12 executive council members including 3 elected members to the Lower House were expelled. Elections were called in February 2013.
“The good citizens of Grenada taught us a valuable lesson, we didn’t just lose the next election, we got a good cut arse…we lost all 15 seats in Parliament and you would have thought that we would have learned our lesson and rally around, notwithstanding the counsel from your political leader, the mayhem and the disunity and the infighting continued, next election 15–zero again,” he said. “During those dark days, your political leader did not say to these fellas, I fed up, I tired. He was still there providing counsel, still trying to help us put the pieces together.”
Dickon Mitchell became Prime Minister after the June 2022 General Election.
