UWP's Future Hinges on This One Debate About Eastern Caribbean Political Leadership
Recently, a public debate erupted over one leadership attribute of Dr. Thomson Fontaine, political leader of Dominica's main opposition party, the United Workers Party (UWP).
On UWP-affiliated Q95 radio's flagship talk show, Matt in the Morning: The Hot Seat, callers assessed Dr. Fontaine as "not inclusive." He does not consult, one caller added. Several testified that Dr. Fontaine's UWP was not "on the ground," not in the field, not with the people.
Dr. Fontaine's defenders chose a curious strategy. They did not prove their leader was inclusive. Instead, they argued inclusivity is a matter of style — a private preference with no consequence for effectiveness.
They could not be more wrong.
Whether Dr. Fontaine is inclusive is not the focus here. The focus is the value of inclusivity as a leadership trait in Eastern Caribbean political leadership, and why dismissing it is a fatal miscalculation.
Inclusivity Is Not Optional in Eastern Caribbean Political Leadership
Inclusivity is a research-supported best practice in Eastern Caribbean political leadership and a proven pathway to electoral success in Dominica and the wider Eastern Caribbean. It is not a leader's private behavior. Inclusivity is tied to a political leader's function. And function is part of the definition of leadership.
Leadership is a practical activity, a system of action. In a democratic system, leadership style and function touch the other pole in the leadership relationship: followers. Most followers value inclusivity. It is one of the key aspirations and driving forces of the Eastern Caribbean political model — a democracy, meaning "the people's thing."
Dominica's History Demands Inclusive Eastern Caribbean Political Leadership
The people of Dominica value inclusivity in public life. This is not accidental. Ours is a post-slave society. Slavery was the opposite of inclusivity. That is why ex-slaves and their descendants built inclusive structures into three major waves known as "Emancipations" — each one a defining chapter in Eastern Caribbean political leadership.
The First Emancipation — In the 1830s, formerly enslaved Africans regained their social rights: the right to be included in economy, society, culture, and the environment.
The Second Emancipation — The formerly enslaved won the right to form trade unions, the right to be included in trade organizations. Soon, their descendants realized inclusion in political organizations was critical. In the 1950s, trade unions birthed representative political parties; a turning point in Eastern Caribbean political leadership.
The Third Emancipation — Emancipation from colonial exclusion, also known as political independence. Dominicans were finally included in governing their own external defense and external affairs; the ultimate expression of Eastern Caribbean political leadership.
Inclusivity is not only necessary for successful Eastern Caribbean political leadership. It is the principal means by which the good life is socially distributed.
The Stakes for UWP
How UWP settles this debate will shape their performance in the next elections. Dismissing inclusivity as "style" ignores the historical DNA of Eastern Caribbean political leadership, and the voters who live it.
