On July 19, 2023, the United Kingdom (UK) imposed Visa restrictions for all persons holding a Commonwealth of Dominica passport, who are hoping to visit or transit the UK. The UK’s Home Secretary, Suella Braverman issued a statement saying, “We are today imposing a visa requirement on all visitors from Dominica, Honduras, Namibia, Timor-Leste, and Vanuatu. Nationals of these countries will also be required to obtain a Direct Airside Transit Visa if they intend to transit via the UK having booked travel to another country”. The Home Secretary went on to say, “Careful consideration of Dominica’s and Vanuatu’s operation of a citizenship by investment [CBI] scheme has shown clear and evident abuse of the scheme, including the granting of citizenship to individuals known to pose a risk to the UK”.
On June 6, 2023, Canada lifted Visa restrictions on 13 countries, including some in the Caribbean Region, but did not include Dominica as a country with Visa-free entry. These actions by Canada and the UK are as a direct result of their view, that the Dominica Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program poses a direct and existential threat to the security architecture of these countries. It is important to note that the UK did not take similar action against St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Antigua and Grenada, which all have similar programs to that of Dominica.
The issue of Visa restriction for entry into the UK is of national importance because of the reason for its implementation as stated by the UK’s Home Secretary. But moreover, its implications will have a devastating effect on the Dominican economy, because the government has made the selling of citizenship its main income generator, neglecting other essential growth engines such as agriculture, tourism, sports and culture, manufacturing, and exports.
In the fiscal year 2022/2023, monies from the CBI program constituted more than 58% of revenue from the national budget. A similar level is maintained in the recently published budget for 2023/2024. According to the government, CBI funds are used to construct housing and fund infrastructure projects. It is also used to supplement recurrent spending, including debt repayment, given the dismal performance of tax revenue collection. Therefore, a loss of revenue from the CBI program will seriously and adversely affect all manner of government operations.
The United Workers Party has repeatedly informed the Dominican public about the lack of transparency and accountability in the CBI program. The overwhelming evidence indicates a program that is run solely for financial gain for a few, with limited returns to the Treasury, and a due diligence program lacking credibility that has resulted in this latest UK visa imposition on Dominica. The abuse of the system has been and remains obvious, including the failure of the government to adequately account for the revenues generated from the program.
The lackadaisical attitude of this government in administering a program deemed to be of extreme and critical importance to the citizens of Dominica is beyond belief. Over the years, the list of questionable characters who have benefited from the Dominica CBI program, demonstrates that there has been little to no priority placed on the quality and quantity of citizens this administration has been willing to grant Dominica’s most treasured asset, its citizen’s identity.
There remains therefore, little doubt that the Citizenship by Investment program as it is constituted, is in jeopardy. The government of Dominica that has based the country’s economic development and budget financing completely on such an unsustainable CBI program will now understand the result of such poor judgement. If the government had not relinquished billions of CBI dollars to foreign control and instead, invested those monies into national sustainable programs, the economy would be able to withstand the shock of its mismanagement of the CBI program.
In the view of the UWP, the tremendous amount of revenue which was previously accrued under the CBI program could have been used to:
- develop and subsidize agriculture;
- finance education, by ensuring the essentials is provided for student’s learning, and provide textbooks for all;
- fully equip our hospitals and health centers;
- invest in small and medium businesses by ensuring they can access low interest loans to increase their chance of success and expansion; and
- collaborate with the private sector to invest in business initiatives.
After the loss of the ROSS University School of Medicine, an entity that contributed significantly to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and the loss of international banks from our shores, the government has now reverted to squeezing our Credit Unions where a large number of Dominicans save, to raise revenues to resurrect a faltering economy. The time to request transparency and accountability from the current administration has passed. We the people must now demand that the necessary framework to ensure free and fair elections, and ELECTORAL REFORM, be put in place to relieve the Dominican people of a government that is incompetent, irresponsible, lazy, unaccountable, and malicious and put in place a “government of the people, by people, and for the people”. We must take the actions necessary to ensure that Dominica’s good name can be restored and our country can be once again recognized as a team player in the league of nations.
