Roosevelt Skerrit, Dominica
Who is he? Skerrit is the prime minister of the Eastern Caribbean island of Dominica (pop, 69,625).
Why watch him? The youngest head of government in the world when he first came to power in January 2004 (aged just 31), Skerrit quickly reshaped Dominica's political alliances, breaking off ties with Taiwan in favour of China and signing up to the Venezuelan-led Petrocaribe and Alternativa Bolivariana para los Pueblos de Nuestra América (Alba) initiatives. These decisions, while controversial in this commonwealth state, have paid off handsomely in investment terms, leaving the popular Skerrit well placed to seek re-election in August 2010.
Born: 8 June 1972, in the North Eastern village of Vieille Case.
Education:
Portsmouth secondary school, Dominica Grammar school
BA in
English and Psychology, University of Mississippi (after transferring from New
Mexico State University).
Public life: Politically active from an early age, Skerrit was head boy and president of the student council at Dominica Grammar School and president of the Dominica Students Association while at New Mexico State University. While a student he was a member of the youth arm of the Dominica Freedom Party (DFP), the Young Freedom Movement. He joined the Dominica Labour Party (DLP) upon his return to Dominica from university. Skerrit worked as an English lecturer at the Clifton-Dupigny Community College until his election to parliament for the Vieille Case constituency in the February 2000 elections.
Timeline:
February 2000: Appointed Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs.
October 2000: Following the death of the prime minister, Roosevelt Douglas, Skerrit became the minister of Education, Sports and Youth affairs. As Minister of Education, he established the Dominica State College. He also led a confidential mission to the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Barbados.
January 2004: The prime minister, Pierre Charles, died on 4 January. On 6 January, Skerrit was nominated as his replacement and was sworn in on 8 January, aged 31, the youngest head of government in the world. After becoming prime minister, he was also elected political leader of the DLP.
April 2004: Skerrit severed relations with Taiwan and established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. As part of the move, Beijing agreed to a capital aid package worth US$300m.
May 2005: In the general elections, Skerrit retained his seat by a wide margin. The DLP took 52% of the popular vote and gained one additional seat in parliament (giving it 12 seats). The opposition United Workers' Party (UWP), led by Edison James, took 44% of the vote and 8 parliamentary seats. The UWP's campaign had been scathing of Skerrit's age and relative inexperience and the country's weak economic performance since the 2000 elections. Skerrit argued the economic ills dated back to the UWP's earlier profligate borrowing. His successful bid for Chinese aid also helped his victory, and he successfully mobilised the youth vote.
Following the election, Skerrit assumed the ministerial portfolios of Finance, Planning, National Security and Overseas Nationals. He continued relations with the IMF and followed the Fund's orthodox economic policies as Dominica continued to seek ways to replace the formerly dominant banana industry with tourism and financial services, along with business environment and infrastructure reforms to facilitate private sector growth.
September 2005: Dominica, along with 11 of the other 15 Caricom members, plus Cuba and the Dominican Republic, officially joined Petrocaribe. Dominica agreed to play a major part in the regional initiative, with plans for crude oil from Venezuela to be stored on the island for export to other islands in the Eastern Caribbean region. The Chávez government gave Dominica a US$10.1m grant for the expansion of the Melville Hall Airport and forgave the country's US$1.5m debt to Venezuela.
February 2007: A Caribbean Development Research Services (CADRES) poll found that Skerrit was the most popular leader in the country, with 58% of respondents approving of his leadership.
16 February 2007: President Hugo Chávez paid a state visit to the capital, Roseau, where he inaugurated a Petrocaribe fuel storage tank. In addition, he announced the construction of a 10,000-barrel/day refinery at a cost of some US$80m. (Environmentalists were aghast, saying it would damage Dominica's efforts to promote itself as an eco tourist destination.) Skerrit also agreed to join Alba.
16 October 2007: In a cabinet re-shuffle, Skerrit assumed the portfolios of Foreign Affairs and Social Security, while remaining in charge of Finance. He relinquished National Security and Economic Planning.
January 2008: Dominica joins Alba
18 November 2008: Cabinet reshuffle - Skerrit gave up the Foreign Affairs brief and took on the National Security portfolio for a second time.
May 2009: Skerrit announces that he will seek additional IMF funding as part of efforts to mitigate the effects of the global economic crisis. The opposition argues that this will lead to higher taxes.
12-13 June 2009: Skerrit attends the Sixth Petrocaribe summit in St. Kitts and Nevis.
14 June 2009: President Chávez visits the island for the official commissioning of the new US$35m Waitukubuli Fuel Storage and Distribution Plant at Jimmit, funded by Petrocaribe. The plant, with a capacity of 35,000 barrels, will processes diesel, cooking gas, gasoline, Liquefied Petroleum Gas and Jet A1 fuel. Chávez says the plant will guarantee the island's energy security “for 200 years" and Skerrit says every family on the island will receive a free cylinder of gas. Chávez also announces that Venezuela will help fund a coffee-processing plant and set up a local Alba office (and potentially a branch of the proposed Alba bank) on the island.
Skerrit said Dominica would form part of a delegation to the United Nations General Assembly in September, seeking a resolution to bring greater attention and recognition for Petrocaribe. He said he would never regret his decision to join Alba.
Strengths: Skerrit has proved a pragmatic and able politician - implementing an orthodox economic development plan while following his fellow Caribbean neighbours into a relationship with Venezuela, which under Petrocaribe has made these small, externally dependent island states an offer too good to refuse. Dominica's Alba membership should be seen in a similar pragmatic context.
Weaknesses: Under Skerrit, Dominica has effectively put all its eggs in one basket by building up such strong ties with Venezuela. Skerrit's growing political links to Chávez have been the subject of criticism on the island, with some voters uncomfortable with his swing towards radical groups like Alba. The opposition accuses him of being a populist and of becoming a client state of Venezuela. Sustained Chinese investment in Dominica may be limited moving forward given its limited natural resources and the fact that the island is not really strategically positioned in the region.
Skerrit's control over the executive leaves him open to allegations of power grabbing and suggests he is unwilling to delegate. It also means that he becomes the face of every transgression, however minor. In June 2009 the prime minister denied opposition corruption allegations over the government's procurement of garbage bins (from a US company) for Roseau city council.
Prospects:
Skerrit remains popular, but it is not clear that he will be automatically
returned to power in August 2010. Recent polls suggest he will face stiff
competition from Ron Green of the UWP. Like other countries in the
Caribbean, Dominica has suffered from the global economic crisis, which if
prolonged, might hurt the government. However, given his young age, Skerrit is
set to remain a leading force on the political scene for the foreseeable
future.