A Seamless Dominica-Diaspora: The Reality

All Dominicans are citizens of their homeland whether living at home or overseas. All the rights of citizenship are accorded to all by the God-given reality of birth. We share a common heritage in every sense of the word. But for the fact that some of us reside overseas and the rest at home, we would gladly embrace one another as kith and kin.

Ideally, when citizens leave home for other destinations, those left behind should look upon them as ambassadors going forth to spread the good news of our Nature Isle. They shower on them all good wishes for a safe journey and success in the attainment of their goals. And, when they return those left behind should once again embrace them and be anxious to learn of their successes. This idealism was the reality at one time in Dominica. What went wrong? What has killed this spirit of togetherness we cherished in spite of separation by land and sea? Maybe one of our social historians might help us understand the changing dynamics of this phenomenon.

Whatever the reasons for this loss, it is time to try and regain the seamless nature of our Dominican society. We acknowledge that todays world of globalisation is a thousandfold more complex. War, famine, disease, moral decline, greed and untold atrocities by man on his fellowman have produced cynicism and distrust, of which we must be wary. The rich nations are becoming richer and the poor even poorer. The present situation dictates the need, the urgency for developing countries like Dominica, to pool all our resources to ensure our common survuval.

Without further elucidation, it is very obvious that the sources of our Dominican resources include both those at home and overseas. It is absolutely necessary that Dominicans at home and abroad must unite to facilitate this mobilisation of our resources for the common benefit of our people. So, let's put the legal framework in place.

The Vision
What will it be like in a seamless Dominica-Diaspora society? I invite you to dream with me as we ponder the following:

1. A seamless Dominica will have a population of about 150,000 citizens, twice its current official count
2. Individuals, groups and associations overseas will be positioned to take advantage of opportunities to advance the development of Dominica
3. Dominica will have a ready-made pool of qualified people overseas to promote her in such fields as tourism, investment opportunity, international symposia, etc.
4. Qualified oveseas Dominicans can serve as ambassadors instead of foreign nationals who may use the office for illicit, personal purposes

These are only a few general areas where overseas Dominicans have an advantage. Several more can be listed. But, already, one can imagine the cost-effectiveness of having a seamless society. To a certain degree some of the above have been undertaken on an ad hoc basis as the occasion arises. However, there will be need for permanency and recognition in a formal framework.

Our next blog post considers a hypothetical situation in which overseas Dominicans can play a major role as an integral part of a seamless society.

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