A movement is emerging that could turn the party political landscape in Dominica upside down, the Sun can report.

    A number of prominent people, fed up with the divisive nature of the country's party political system, are planning to contest the next general elections as independents, with a view to influencing the political agenda, one source involved in the talks told the Sun.

    "A lot of us feel, having tried the party thing, it's crazy. People without any skills end up with position in the government and are floundering and they are protected by the constitution," the source complained. "This party thing takes good people and turn them into something else."

    According to the source, the intention is that some strong, talented and skilled individuals "who can make a strong contribution" to the country's development, will contest "key constituencies" where none of the three political parties, the Dominica Labour Party (DLP), the Dominica Freedom Party (DFP) or the United Workers Party (UWP), is strong.

    "There are about six or seven constituencies where the right people can make a difference. Right now there are about four persons who are interested and with as good a chance as any to carry their constituency. About a dozen of us have looked at the situation and we will run as independent, trying to get six into parliament which means that neither party will be able to form a government without regard for the independents," the source told the Sun.

    The constituencies identified include Roseau South, Roseau Valley, Wesley, Colihaut, and Portsmouth " because (current MP) Ian (Douglas) has done a poor job of representing the people." The source said that conservationist and key architect of the Integrated Development Plan (IDP), Arthie Martin, would contest the Roseau Central seat, while former Attorney General Bernard Wiltshire would challenge in the Castle Bruce seat.

    Wiltshire confirmed that he would contest the seat as an independent, saying it was the right strategy for the country in the current situation.

    "There is a tremendous dearth of leadership in the country," he told the Sun.

    "I believe the constituency system in the political landscape has failed in Dominica. The political parties have not succeeded in sustaining economic stability. We cannot even sustain the population of the country. And in these circumstances there has to be some rethinking of the constitution and how we can reconstitute the political process and make a difference," stated Wiltshire, echoing the sentiments expressed by our source.

    At issue for these individuals is what they see as a political system that divides the country while retarding its progress. They claim that the current system rewards incompetent people with leadership positions that they are ill equipped to handle, resulting in ineffective governments.

    They also contend that because the political parties are bent on gaining power, political debate in the country fails to focus on pertinent issues like the size of government and proper representation of people.

    They have questioned the number of constituencies and the usefulness of the first-past-the post system.

    "Do we need so many constituencies? Can we sustain them? How do we get effective government?" asked Wiltshire. "One way is to have a president elected by universal suffrage, then the president appoints the best persons to head the various ministries. The parliament is elected by proportional representation. Parliament reduced to half the number of seats (and) That parliament can question the ministers and high officers."

    "If enough of the independents win (the next election) then no single political party will win and control the agenda and a constitutional conference should be called in which some key people should be involved (to plot the way forward)," he suggested.

    But, in a country where the party political culture is so deep-rooted and where independents have traditionally failed to make any impression on the voter, this group of independents could have a very difficult time getting the electorate to listen to their message.

    "I think, what is more rational, is the attempt to raise the standard of debate during the campaign, so, even if they do not win, they will set a clear difference between that level of debate and the current pattern (and) even if they don't win, they can create a pattern of change," said Dr. Lennox Honychurch, the local historian with years of experience observing the country's political culture.

    Honychurch also felt that, in the current climate where "people are fed up with the party line," voters might be more willing than ever to give the independents a listening ear. But, he warned that in a small country like Dominica, personalities tended in get in the way of the message.

    "A lot of it in a small island like ours has to do with the personalities involved…if a number of them go up, people will perceive them as a party in disguise and even if they don't give themselves a name, the other parties will and will parade them as such, so it's a ticklish situation," he added.

    Honychurch also warned of another potential problem for the independent candidates. They run the risk of not only losing, but also they could split the vote, making it easier for the traditional party candidate to win.

    However, our source said that the individuals saw the need to make at least one more attempt to bring the country together and to build on its strengths.

    "It probably is the last attempt by a number of us before we leave the country or something," he said.