Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit being sworn into office.

ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – For the third time in six years, Roosevelt Skerrit was on Monday sworn-in as the Prime Minister of this Eastern Caribbean island.

Skerrit, 37, flanked by close political colleagues, took the oath of office before President Nicholas Liverpool at a brief ceremony at the Office of the President that was also attended by his mother.

Skerrit led his Dominica Labour Party (DLP) to a convincing 18-3 victory over its main rival, the United Workers Party (UWP), at last Friday’s general election.

“We have a government in place and my hope is that all of us will work together towards the development of this country. We will look towards continued governance of the country with respect to all its institutions, laws and the Constitution of Dominica,” the Prime Minister said.

In an earlier interview with the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC), the Prime Minister, who will retain the Finance portfolio, said he would delay naming his Cabinet until after the Christmas holidays. However he announced Monday that Attorney General Francine Baron-Royer would continue in that post and that he would disclose the full composition of his ministerial team at a later time.

The former college lecturer first took the oath of office as Prime Minister in 2004 when the sitting prime minister, Pierre Charles, died. He was sworn-in to the highest political office again in 2005, when he led the DLP to victory at the polls.

Skerrit used the swearing in ceremony to set Dominicans at ease by saying that his DLP administration would not abuse the overwhelming majority that it has secured by seeking to change the Constitution at will, having surpassed the necessary two-thirds majority needed in most instances.

“Notwithstanding the fact that we have 18 seats in Parliament, this government will never exercise that authority of going to the Parliament to amend any section of the Constitution without proper consultation with Dominicans the length and breadth of Dominica,” he assured.

As Skerrit was taking his oath, his chief political rival, UWP leader Ron Green, was preparing to file a challenge in court contesting the razor thin defeat that he suffered in the rural constituency of La Plaine.

If that result stands, Green will face the agonising reality of not being an elected Member of Parliament after a 15-year run.

Nonetheless, the Prime Minister offered an olive branch to the opposition and was hopeful that the defeated parties would play a role in the island’s development.

He said he would seek to ensure that all MPs have State-funded constituency offices, including an official office for the Leader of the Opposition.

“Let me extend a hand of friendship and goodwill to the opposition that we recognise that we need to work together to move this country forward.

“We’re prepared to work with them as we have sought to do in the last four and a half years and we shall continue to work with all other institutions towards the development of Dominica,” the Prime Minister added, mindful that “the task ahead is not an easy one”.

If Dominicans were looking to their re-elected leader for a quick fix to the economic downturn that the country has been experiencing, Skerrit signalled that there were no immediate solutions, especially in light of what has been transpiring on the international markets.

“We are operating in a very difficult economy, a global situation where all the major players have been experiencing great difficulties over the last two years and from all indications that difficulty is expected to continue well into the second half of 2010. Now, Dominica operates in that environment and therefore we have to be mindful of that,” Skerrit told reporters gathered for the ceremony.

However, he insisted his administration would not “tinker” with the Value-Added Tax (VAT) and suggested that the opposition was “asking for trouble” by suggesting that the tax be slashed from 15 per cent to five per cent.

“None of you in Dominica would be able to get your salaries, the private sector will have to send you home because they would not be able to get business, the government will not be able to pay those businesses that it owes, the government will not be able to buy medicines for the hospital and so forth,” the Prime Minister warned.