Robinson-Regis: Rise above pettiness and help Dominica

Planning and Development Minister Camille Robinson-Regis yesterday not only endorsed Prime Minister Keith Rowley’s call for citizens to open their homes to the people of Dominica, she insisted that we must rise above the pettiness of race and politics and see the situation as an opportunity for TT to be their Caricom brother’s keeper.

“Who knows ladies and gentlemen, it might very well be our historical willingness to reach out to our Caricom neighbours in times of distress, that caused the Almighty to look favourably upon us and spare us the ravages of hurricanes,” Robinson-Regis said during an address at the Holy Trinity Cathedral’s service in celebration of Republic Day.

Robinson-Regis said she joins in with Rowley in expressing disappointment at the many negative comments since his call to citizens who have friends, family or acquaintances in Dominica, to open their hearts, their homes and their pots to welcome them for an initial period of six months.

She said the concept of family must remain paramount and what better time to tangibly demonstrate the virtues of family than in times of crisis, calamity and distress.

“For those of us who follow Christian precepts too, our entry into Heaven is predicated upon our response to simple questions, ‘when I was hungry, did you feed me?’; ‘when I was naked, did you cloth me?’; ‘when I was homeless, did you shelter me?’ and, ‘when I was a stranger, did you welcome me?.’

Robinson-Regis said the government is offering Dominica an opportunity to enter into Trinidad and Tobago to find work, return to school and to be productive again. And on the occasion of the nation celebrating its 41st anniversary of Republican status, Robinson-Regis said the question of particular significance to all citizens, is, why are we standing around when there is so much to be done in our country?

“Why are we standing around when the prisons continue to be filled with little black boys who did not drop from the sky, but are our sons? With an all too painful frequency, we see fruits of our wombs lying in drains, their faces covered in blood and their bodies riddled with bullets. When are we going to start fighting back to reclaim our communities, one by one, block by block, street by street?”