Candidate for Marigot Constituency

Edison C. James was born 18th October 1943 in Marigot. His parents are David and Patricia James and he was raised by his maternal Grandmother Ella “Ma Hazel” Andrew. He is married with three children.

Mr. James received his early education at the Marigot Government School and Dominica Grammar School. With diploma in hand he immediately took up a position in the Dominica Civil Service. He left Dominica in 1964 to pursue higher education in London, England henceforth becoming a trained and accomplished Agronomist. While working full time in the British Civil Service he completed his degrees. He holds a BSc. Hons. in Botany and Biochemistry from the University of East London, a Msc. in Biochemistry from the prestigious University of Reading and a post graduate diploma in Crop Protection Technology from Imperial College London.

Returning to Dominica in 1973 Mr. James became a teacher at the St. Mary’s Academy. There he taught English and Science to students preparing for the Caribbean Examination Counsel examinations. Simultaneously he taught A’ level evening classes at the Six Form College (Now known as the Dominica State College).

Mr. James went on to take a Management role with the Division of Agriculture at the West Area Experiment Station. Following was the position of Farm Improvement Officer of the Caribbean Development Bank attached to the Agricultural and Industrial Development Bank. This further led to him being hired as the first ever Coordinator of the Coconut Rehabilitation and Development Project. Mr. James has always been a business man who through his Agricultural Consulting Firm and privately owned estate has over the years provided gainful employment to all.

It was as CEO and General Manager of the Dominica Banana Marketing/Growers Association that he rose to prominence on the island. Even further, during this time Mr. James became Team Leader of the Windward Islands Banana Growers Association, a position where he negotiated all matters on behalf of Banana farmers with Geest Industries. Additionally he was lead negotiator on behalf of the Dominica banana industry with the British Development Division, Organization of American States, among others from 1980 - 1987.

Mr. James aided in changing both the political structure and climate in Dominica when in 1988 he headed a committee which founded the United Workers' Party and became its first political leader. In 1990 the party captured 6 seats in the 21 seat House of Assembly and James became the leader of the opposition. In the June 12, 1995 elections he led the party to victory with 11 out of 21 seats and became Prime Minister.

Dominica, with Edison James as Prime Minister, produced significant achievements. There was a proliferation in the number of scholarships available for secondary and college education. There was success in diversifying the island's monocrop argricultural sector away from bananas and towards other crops. There was also increased public spending on capital project including roads, schools, electricity, water & sewage projects and sea walls. These projects had a visible impact on the economy and the economy grew every year under James' leadership. This sort of economic program was branded 'tou-pas-touism', a Creole word meaning 'everywhere'

Edison James has played leading roles on behalf of the region:

Within less than one month of taking up office in 1995 he assumed the chairmanship of CARICOM and in 2000 he was chairman of the OECS authority.

• Named by his prime ministerial colleagues as CARICOM Chief Spokesman on Bananas.

• He was the lead Prime Minister and spokesman on Bananas and the CARICOM representative to the Organization of Africa Unity summit in Zimbabwe, 1997.

• Member of CARICOM Regional Prime Ministerial Sub- Committee on External Negotiations, CARICOM Sub-Committee on Cricket and external negotiations, CARICOM Prime Ministerial committee on cricket and member of the CARICOM two-man Fact Finding Commission to St. Kitts/Nevis.

• He actively participated in negotiations on behalf of Dominica and the region with the US, Canada, South Africa, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, European Union as well as international organizations such as the United Nations, FAO and the Commonwealth.

• Service means everything to Mr. James, he has serviced Dominicans as:

• Chairman - Marigot Banana District Branch

• Chairman - Dominica Banana Growers Association (DBGA)

• Member- Dominica Banana Marketing Corporation (DBMC)

• Member - Board of the Dominica Employers Federation

• President - Dominica Cricket Association

• Member - Windward Islands Cricket Association

• Manager - Dominica Windward Islands and Combined Islands Cricket Teams

• Member - Board and Committee of the Roseau Cooperative Cricket Unions

• Board Member - Roseau Credit Union

• Vice President and Committee Member of the Dominica Rotary Club

• In his Church he served as Secretary of the Education Committee, and President of the Marigot Methodist Men’s Group

“I am thankful for your cooperation, guidance and support in the past and return to you for a renewed mandate to lead our constituency comprising Marigot and Concord. To bring us back on a path of growth and development. To rid ourselves of stunted progress and diseased government. With a fresh vigour that we will succeed together, I ask yet again for your mandate”