Former Education Minister, Franka Alexis-Bernardine is now firmly in charge of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) as its Political Leader by creating a bit of history by becoming the first female to be elected to head a major political party on the island at a convention.
However, Alexis-Bernardine cannot waste a single moment in basking in this kind of glory in light of the tremendous political work that lies ahead for Congress which has failed to win a single seat in the last two general elections on the island.
THE NEW TODAY is getting the sense that the new Congress leader is getting a lot of goodwill in some quarters in the country but her success in the end will depend on how she discharges her duties and the kind of approach that she adopts in the national scheme of things in the immediate future.
One of the critical issues that this new political leader will face centers on party discipline which has been lacking in NDC over the years especially in light of the monster called Social Media.
There are too many NDC activists engaged in unnecessary fights and conflicts with others in Social Media.
As a party, Congress will be much better served if some of these same activists can spend the energy in recruiting 200 to 300 new members for NDC. Politics is a numbers game and it will take hard work and organisation to win elections and not “ole talk” on FaceBook and other platforms.
Can Alexis-Bernardine” reign in some of the known NDC activists who take to Social Media platforms and get involved in the kind of behaviour that is counter-productive and keep at bay some of the persons whose support might become necessary in the long-run?
As a matter of urgency, the NDC needs to look seriously at one of its important arms in the party – The Disciplinary Committee.
There is need for the party to hold seminars on “party discipline” with a number of its members especially those known activists on Social Media platforms.
These people should be told what is expected of them as one who is either a member or close associate of the party.
The new NDC Leader must be firm on this issue and not be afraid to bring before the Disciplinary Committee any member who engages in activities that can be considered as anti-party with a view to suspension or expulsion.
Alexis-Bernardine must be firm in exhorting to these people the need to avoid the type of conduct that will be to the detriment of Congress in trying to recruit new persons into its fold.
The new NDC Leader must be firm on this issue and not be afraid to bring before the Disciplinary Committee any member who engages in activities that can be considered as anti-party with a view to suspension or expulsion.
It is better to lose 20 to 30 of these people up front but gain the respect, admiration and support of 300 Grenadians.
The new NDC leader should have been able to read the mood of the delegates who put their trust in her to lead the party into the next general election.
It is quite obvious that the majority of them voted for change despite the outcome of the election in some of the critical and most important positions within the party.
In particular, the General Secretary Glen Noel has been put on notice that he does not command a majority position in the party but is on the fringe.
The controversial Noel should be mindful that he got the support of 154 delegates whereas 177 persons voted against him in a three way fight.
The NDC should not ignore this fact and understand that a majority in the party are looking for new guidance and direction in terms of strategy and tactics in going forward.
THE NEW TODAY can take comfort in the message given by the new NDC Political Leader to the Executive at a meeting on Saturday at the Anglican High School (AHS) in Tanteen, St. George’s.
Alexis-Bernardine was quite frank when she said that NDC has to change and cannot afford to do the same thing like it did in the 2013 and 2018 elections given the fact that the party was beaten 15-0 on both occasions by Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell and his ruling New National Party (NNP) at the polls.
One of the best pieces of advice that was given came from an individual who made some candid remarks after listening to “Franka” on the night of the convention when she addressed party members and supporters on the Morne Rouge playing field.
He said: “The NDC needs some good sound advice. They need to stop doing what they have always been doing and do everything differently ….if they want to get different results. The NDC is sitting in a fantastic position to leap forward…but someone needs to show them ….and THEY MUST BE WILLING TO ACCEPT THOSE CHANGES”.
THE NEW TODAY would want to believe that “Franka” would heed this advice and try and avoid the pitfalls that resulted in the 2013 and 2018 massive defeats and chart a new course for Congress to become more competitive in national elections.
The new NDC leader has to bring a “new thinking” with a “new approach” to the politics to achieve the desired results for her party in the next general election.