Patrick Roland John (7 January 1938 – 6 July 2021) was the first
Prime Minister of Dominica
The prime minister of Dominica is the head of government in the Commonwealth of Dominica. Nominally, the position was created on November 3, 1978 when Dominica gained independence from the United Kingdom. Hitherto, the position existed de facto ...
as well as its last
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
. He led Dominica to
independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
from the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. He was leader of the
Waterfront and Allied Workers' Union
The Waterfront and Allied Workers' Union (WAWU) is a trade union in Dominica. It is affiliated with the International Trade Union Confederation
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC); german: Internationaler Gewerkschaftsbund ( ...
and mayor of
Roseau
Roseau (Dominican Creole: ''Wozo'') is the capital and largest city of Dominica, with a population of 14,725 as of 2011. It is a small and compact urban settlement, in the Saint George parish and surrounded by the Caribbean Sea, the Roseau Ri ...
before being elected to the legislature in 1970. He became Premier in 1974 following the resignation of
Edward Oliver LeBlanc
Edward Oliver Le Blanc (October 3, 1923 – October 29, 2004) was a Dominican politician. He served as the chief minister of Dominica from January 1961 to March 1, 1967 and as the first premier of Dominica.
Life and career
Le Blanc was born in ...
.
After mass protest forced him to resign, John unsuccessfully attempted in 1981 to overthrow the government of Prime Minister
Eugenia Charles
Dame Mary Eugenia Charles, (15 May 1919 – 6 September 2005) was a Dominican politician who was Prime Minister of Dominica from 21 July 1980 until 14 June 1995. The first female lawyer in Dominica, she was Dominica's first, and to date only, fe ...
with the backing of
white supremacist
White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other Race (human classification), races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any Power (social and polit ...
groups (in what became dubbed "
Operation Red Dog
Operation Red Dog was the code name of an April 27, 1981 military filibustering plot by Canadian and American citizens, largely affiliated with white supremacist and Ku Klux Klan groups, to overthrow the government of Dominica, where they planne ...
").
As a result, he was jailed for twelve years, of which he served five years.
On 6 July 2021, John died at the Dominica China Friendship Hospital in
Roseau
Roseau (Dominican Creole: ''Wozo'') is the capital and largest city of Dominica, with a population of 14,725 as of 2011. It is a small and compact urban settlement, in the Saint George parish and surrounded by the Caribbean Sea, the Roseau Ri ...
, Dominica, at the age of 83.
Premiership (1974–1978)
After the resignation of
Edward O. LeBlanc in 1974, John succeeded him as
Premier of Dominica
The Premier of Dominica was responsible for chairing Cabinet meetings in Dominica following the passage of the West Indies Associated States Act. Under this act, the Cabinet had responsibility for domestic affairs, while foreign affairs were dete ...
. The
Labour Party administration led by John founded
Dominica's National Commercial & Development Bank, and rid the capital city of Roseau of many shanty-type dwellings and replaced them with modern housing developments at Bath Estate and River Estate. John's government also opened a new deepwater harbour at Fond Cole and started the Dominica Social Security system.
However, division grew in Dominica following the murder of a number of tourists in the mid-1970s and the emergence of a
black power movement. John introduced legislation so broadly drawn that it even regulated acceptable modes of dress. Later, he indicated that revolutionary groups would not be tolerated.
His reign as Premier and Prime Minister was regarded as one of the most tumultuous periods in Dominica's history. He was responsible for the infamous Prohibited and Undesirable Societies Act or "
Dread Act", which was passed in 1974 and was meant to combat the lawlessness of countless Dominican youth. That act made it legal to arrest any "Dread" without a warrant and deny bail to anyone wearing "a badge of the society" i.e. dreadlocks.
Prime Ministership (1978–1979)
John became the first Prime Minister of Dominica on 3 November 1978 when the country was granted independence from Britain.
John was the honorary commander of Dominica's 80-strong defense force and was in favor of a mixed economy. Internationally, he showed interest in development that saw the island's future linked with the West. One of his first acts after independence was to establish diplomatic relations with
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
.
Crisis phase and resignation
Sentiment against the Labour Party government led by John continued to grow after the implementation of the Dread Act. On 29 May 1979, John's attempts to quell opposition to his leadership led to a clash outside parliament in which a young man named Phillip Timothy and another individual were killed, and a dozen others wounded. Resistance to his rule strengthened as public servants went on strike and the country was completely shut down. The Committee for National Salvation, led by
Charles Savarin, called for a
general strike
A general strike refers to a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large co ...
and the resignation of John and the government.
One by one, Labour Party parliamentarians resigned their positions in the cabinet and they were often aided by a rain of stones from protesters. The first Labour Party minister to resign was
Oliver Seraphin who then went on to become interim Prime Minister until elections in July 1980.
On June 11, 1979, President
Frederick Degazon fled to Britain. John was voted out of office by the
House of Assembly
House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level.
Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible governme ...
on June 20, 1979, and the general strike ended the next day.
Coup attempt
John lost his seat in the
Dominica House of Assembly
Dominica ( or ; Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically ...
in the general elections of 1980. In 1981 John was among seven individuals including former commander of the DDF Major
Frederick Newton
Frederick Newton (1951 – 8 August 1986) was the head of the Dominica Defence Force (DDF) from its independence in 1978 to 1981. He was executed in 1986 for organising an attempted coup d'état in 1981 that resulted in the death of a police offi ...
, who were arrested for alleged plots to overthrow the government. That year there were two attempted
coups d'état. Disaffected
Dominica Defense Force
The Dominica Defense Forces (DDF) was the military of the Commonwealth of Dominica. There has been no standing army in Dominica since 1981, when the Defense Force was disbanded in 1981 following two violent coup attempts against Dame Eugenia Ch ...
(DDF) members, aided by a group of Dreads (
Rastafarians
Rastafari, sometimes called Rastafarianism, is a religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control of ...
) near Giraudel, and foreign mercenaries sought to overthrow the duly elected
Dominica Freedom Party
The Dominica Freedom Party (DFP) is a conservative political party in Dominica. It shares much of the same socially and economically conservative principles as the Conservative Party in the UK. The party has been led by Bernard Hurtault since 2 ...
government led by Prime Minister
Mary Eugenia Charles. The attempts at a coup d'état were discovered, thwarted, and the plotters both in Dominica and the United States were exposed.
Under emergency powers, John and others were arrested for their involvement in
Operation Red Dog
Operation Red Dog was the code name of an April 27, 1981 military filibustering plot by Canadian and American citizens, largely affiliated with white supremacist and Ku Klux Klan groups, to overthrow the government of Dominica, where they planne ...
, which had the aim of restoring John to power with the aid of
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
and
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
citizens, largely affiliated with
white supremacist
White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other Race (human classification), races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any Power (social and polit ...
and
Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...
groups.
In court cases which followed, the trial judge found that John was initially released, but the State appealed and the Court of Appeal ordered a new trial to take place. On October 23, 1985, John was found guilty and sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment for conspiring to overthrow the government. John was later pardoned by the same Prime Minister Mary Eugenia Charles he sought to overthrow, and he was released from prison on May 29, 1990.
Sports
Following his release from prison, John, formerly a member of the
Dominica national football team
The Dominica national football team is the national team of Dominica and is controlled by the Dominica Football Association. They are a member of CONCACAF.
Dominica has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup.
History
Beginnings
Dominica pl ...
, became a local football administrator. In 1992, he was elected
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
of the
Dominica Football Association
The Dominica Football Association is the governing body of football in Dominica.
The Dominica national football team is the national team of Dominica and is controlled by the Dominica Football Association. The national league of Dominica is the ...
(DFA). Under his leadership the DFA became a
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
affiliate in 1994. He served as President until 2006, when he was voted out of office by the local football fraternity. In 2007, he was inducted into the
CONCACAF
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football,, ; french: Confédération de football d'Amérique du Nord, d'Amérique centrale et des Caraïbes, . Dutch uses the English name. abbreviated as CONCACAF ( ; typese ...
Hall of Fame. In May 2008, he was re-elected as President of the DFA. The DFA administrative headquarters is named "Patrick John Football House" in honour of him. In November 2011, John was banned by FIFA from the sport for two years and fined $3,300, for his part in an alleged bribery scheme involving FIFA presidential candidate
Mohamed bin Hammam.
[.]
References
External links
Tull: Tell us about coup rumours NationNews, 4 October 2006
See also
*
Luciano Bivar
Luciano Caldas Bivar (born 29 November 1944) is a Brazilian politician and businessman who was the PSL candidate for the 2006 Brazilian general election. His political platform included projects such as the end of income tax in favour of a uniqu ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:John, Patrick
1938 births
2021 deaths
Association football executives
Dominica criminals
Dominica footballers
Dominica Labour Party politicians
Dominica prisoners and detainees
Members of the House of Assembly of Dominica
Finance ministers of Dominica
Prime Ministers of Dominica
Prisoners and detainees of Dominica
Association footballers not categorized by position
Ku Klux Klan members
Dominica people of British descent