Dr. Fontaine Invited the Whole Country Into the UWP Group Chat – Then Left the Elephant on Read

A canyon has ripped open in the highest ground of United Workers Party (UWP) territory. Not just any ground. Marigot; the Constituency named for the village in Dominica's Northeast, the spiritual birthplace of the UWP, the party's political holy land. And this "split" has been percolating in the UWP group chat for weeks.

Then, on June 9, 2026, novice UWP Political Leader and former IMF economist Dr. Thomson Fontaine decided to make a "national address" about the so-called "events" in his party.

Events he has yet to address.

The Missed Opportunity

Weeks earlier, friendly political talk show host Matt Peltier, Jr. — who boasts leading the "most talked about talk show in Dominica," Matt in the Morning: The Hot Seat — handed Dr. Fontaine the opportunity on a silver platter. He asked him to comment on rumored disunity. Dr. Fontaine flat out denied it. He blew it.

Dr. Fontaine blew something critically important: controlling the narrative early. A leader who denies what the public already suspects does not neutralize the story, he accelerates it. The window to own the narrative was open. Dr. Fontaine slammed it shut on himself.

The Fallout

Then, like dirt swept under the rug, the salacious events burst out, putting Dr. Fontaine behind the eight ball. Former UWP heavyweights, including its first Political Leader and only former Prime Minister, Edison James, and former Opposition Leader Lennox Linton, wrote an open letter condemning attacks on their reputation and threats to their personal safety. The letter all but pointed a finger straight at Dr. Fontaine.

Meanwhile, Senator Delbert Paris — who had resigned as Deputy Political Leader citing his inability to work with Dr. Fontaine — was selected by the UWP Marigot Constituency Association as its candidate in the next general elections, due by late 2027. In an apparent tit for tat, Dr. Fontaine led his National Executive Committee to select a rival candidate for Marigot.

All of it — no matter how infantile — still belongs to the UWP group chat. Internal UWP business. Until Dr. Fontaine made it everyone's business.

The Hostage Situation

He officially included us — ordinary Dominican spectators, UWP members and non-members alike — in the group chat by delivering a national address to a national audience.

There’s a difference between internal party management and public political communication. A leader who broadcasts internal dysfunction without resolution does not demonstrate transparency; he demonstrates a loss of control. We did not ask to be in this group chat. Dr. Fontaine put us in it.

Then, as if holding us hostage were not enough of a rookie political leadership mistake — Dr. Fontaine neglected to address the elephant in the room while he held us there.

The elephant: the internal strife breaking out all over the UWP like a bad rash. It is ostensibly what he alluded to when he referenced "events circulating in the media." Yet rather than addressing those events head on like the elephant that cannot be missed in any room, Dr. Fontaine used the words "those events" as a pretext. Not the subject.

The Deflection

No sooner had he alluded to "those events" than he pivoted — toward Dominica, the Government, and the ruling Dominica Labour Party (DLP) that has governed since 2000. Although Dr. Fontaine gathered everyone under the false pretext of addressing the problems in his UWP, it is the DLP that caught a stray.

He went all high and mighty about saving Dominica. Please note: Dr. Fontaine's UWP is not in Parliament. Dr. Fontaine himself is not. Yet he blah-blah-blahed about "the strength of our mission" and "called for sacrifices" to be made for Dominica.

When internal disorder threatens a leader’s authority, the instinct is to redirect public attention toward the external opponent. Dr. Fontaine executed this move with textbook precision. The problem? The public already saw the elephant. Pointing at the DLP does not make it disappear. It makes you look like you think we are stupid.

The Faux Pas

In closing, Dr. Fontaine managed one thing right. He issued a call to action — speechwriting 101. But that is when he made an even bigger faux pas. He called on all of us "to put aside our differences." What differences? The differences in YOUR party? He never addressed them. How can you ask people to put aside something you refuse to name?

Still, he went further. He called on us to come together. Over what? "To craft an economic revitalization plan" for Dominica. Sir. Your house is on fire and you are inviting the neighbors over for dinner.

The Malpractice

Here is the character of the high act of political leadership malpractice Dr. Fontaine committed: He did not take the disarray in his UWP as a consequential political leadership matter to be solved. Rather, he used the public's call for accountability as a chance to deflect from his own mess and point fingers in the other direction.

Behind that head-and-hand fake routine is an even more fundamental error.

In my book, “The Eastern Caribbean Political Power Playbook,” I explained how Dominica's winningest Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, developed a knack for engaging others in shared meaning — addressing the 'Switch' from Taiwan to China, his 'No Devil in ALBA' on joining the controversial Venezuelan bloc, and the Ambrose George-related Cabinet reshuffle, to name a few issues, point blank. Skerrit grew into the leader who would not leave the elephant in the room unaddressed. Either Dr. Fontaine did not read that section. Or if he did read it, he did not trust it. Either way — it showed.

The Verdict

So at one of the most consequential moments in his political career,  in the run-up to a general election, Dr. Fontaine gave a national address in which he intended to play the role of Prime Minister Skerrit and show the Dominican electorate how much of a Winston Churchill he could be. Instead of a Churchillian rallying cry, he included us in a group chat we did not ask to be in — and denied us the payoff of addressing the elephant in the room.

A political leadership address with no political leadership. How dreadful.

Dr. Philbert Aaron is a political leadership expert, diplomat, and author of "The Eastern Caribbean Political Power Playbook." His research spans over a decade of Caribbean executive leadership across six sovereign territories. Connect with Dr. Aaron for speaking engagements, leadership consulting, and political strategy advisory.