It was heartening to hear an executive member of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Tuesday referring to a “coalition” of forces for the upcoming election to remove the ruling New National Party (NNP) administration and its 75-year old ageing leader, Dr. Keith Mitchell from office in the Botanical Gardens.
THE NEW TODAY has been advocating for this kind of political arrangement for some time now in the national interest as Grenada continues to slip down a slippery slope under the current government.
It is our strongly held view that Grenadians are looking for change of government but not thinking of a Congress administration but the creation of a national unity government involving the best talents on showcase for the good of Grenada.
The coming weeks and months will give a clear indication as to the seriousness of the statement made by this NDC Executive member that the party is now looking in the direction of this “coalition” of forces to bring an end to the stranglehold on the life of the country over the past 25 years by Dr. Mitchell.
Congress might finally be coming to its senses that “all hands are needed on deck” to remove the regime now in office and to bring back a ray of hope to Grenadians.
History will not be kind to NDC if it fails to follow through on the promise to engage others in the society on the coming together of these forces with a national development agenda at heart to bring better governance to the country.
A coalition of forces is nothing new in the country as current Prime Minister Mitchell came to power for the first time back in 1995 with the backing of a coalition of forces under the banner of national reconciliation.
Dr. Mitchell continues to dominate the political landscape of Grenada through a coalition with the last one being that which was forged with the expelled members of Congress like Peter David, Chester Humphrey, Pastor Stanford Simon, Joe Gilbert, and Karl Hood among others.
THE NEW TODAY is suggesting that former Prime Minister Tillman Thomas can no longer continue to sit on the fence and allow his political comrades in the party that he helped formed about 34 years ago to squander a golden opportunity to save the ship of state that is just rolling on under this ageing leader who has clearly run out of ideas.
Mr. Thomas can bring a voice of reasoning and common sense in engaging with the likes of Opposition Leader, Tobias Clement and his Senators, as well as former Opposition Leader Michael Baptiste and many others who can make a meaningful contribution to nation building.
There is also a growing feeling in some quarters in the country that the current Prime Minister had had a long enough run in charge of the country and is bringing nothing new to the table and the proof can be seen in his so-called plans to rebuild Grenada in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.
Many Grenadians have expressed the desire that food security through the rebuilding of the agriculture sector is needed but this is again put on the backburner by PM Mitchell.
His mantra still centers on selling passports and luring investors to build more and more hotels even when tourism is so sluggish and the Maurice Bishop International Airport (MBIA) is in grave financial difficulties.
THE NEW TODAY senses that those Marxist elements aligned to ex-Deputy Prime Minister Bernard Coard who brought so much pain and blood-letting in the country in 1983 are re-organising out of the belief that there is a political vacuum in light of the NNP’s back-to-back 15-0 victory against Congress in 2013 and 2018.
These smart men are trying to woo a number of unsuspecting Grenadians with a clean track record into their camp as part of their sinister ploy to get another shot at state power in Grenada.
There are so many things that need addressing and correcting in Grenada in terms of the policies as pursued by the NNP administration in its last two terms in office.
The Imani programme has seemingly run its course and many of the youngsters who enrolled into the initiative have become frustrated with no serious opportunities for them to improve their livelihood with a salary of between $800 and $1200 a month.
The drawback is that several Imanis are looking to start their own life with a family and a home of their own and the programme does not provide them with hope of going to a bank or financial institution to get a loan.
The need and role for an Integrity Commission in the current situation would also have to be relooked by a new regime in the country.
It is unfortunate that the NNP is using the commission to provide jobs for “the boys” and also employment for too many retirees given the high level of youth unemployment in the country.
It is sad that former Commissioner of Police, Winston James who has retired from public service on two previous occasions is brought back into public life as an employee at the commission.
The wisdom in bringing back another two retirees, former Permanent Secretaries, Eunice Sandy-David and Elizabeth Greenidge-Henry to work at the commission is also of concern with so many young qualified Grenadians looking for employment opportunities.
THE NEW TODAY sees the Integrity Commission as lacking teeth to carry out a serious forensic investigation into any alleged act of corruption by those who are mandated by law to make declaration of their assets to the body.
A government of National Unity is badly needed in Grenada to mount a serious rescue mission to restore institutional governance to Grenada, Carriacou & Petite Martinique.
All hands are needed on board among the opposition forces in a genuine coming together in unity to bring new hope to the island.