Reports that the now main opposition New National Party (NNP) of defeated Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell has signaled its intention to start the preparatory work for the next election following its defeat at the polls on June 23 at the hands of the new political boss of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Dickon Mitchell should send a clear message to the nation.
It is the correct political move by the NNP to think ahead and to start the process rolling as the party is the alternative to Congress for the seat of power in the country.
However, the NNP has to come quickly to its senses and take the bold step to start the rebuilding that is so necessary with Dr. Mitchell not playing any significant role in the eyes of the public.
The current opposition leader will serve only as a distraction in light of the fact that the electorate sent a strong message to that political organisation that not only regime but also leadership change is badly needed in the country.
THE NEW TODAY is confident that the longer Keith Mitchell sticks around as NNP Political Leader the more entrenched Dickon Mitchell and NDC will become in the political life of the country.
The Peter David factor within the NNP leadership set up will continue to spark a great deal of controversy and debate.
On the surface it appears that in the absence of clear alternatives to Dr. Mitchell, the next best bet for the party in terms of leadership material is its former Agriculture Minister.
The other pretender to the throne is former Education Minister Emmalin Pierre but she is badly lacking in the qualities that are needed to run a government and a country.
Peter David will be approaching the ripe old age of 70 at the next general election and might face difficulties in attracting the swarm of young people who will become eligible to vote for the very first time.
The NNP old guards who are not supportive of the former Congress General Secretary becoming their new political boss might be prepared to brush that aside with the hope that Peter David can bring them back into the seat of power at the Ministerial Complex in the Botanical Gardens.
A Peter David-led NNP will result in Congress supporters rallying together to make sure that he never becomes the Prime Minister of Grenada, Carriacou & Petite Martinique due to their hatred for him following the role he played in the 2008-13 period to bring down the Tillman Thomas-led regime from power.
The NNP is at a serious crossroads when it comes to leadership and might be forced to settle on an alternative leader to take on Dickon Mitchell at the next election.
It is almost impossible for the NDC to self-destruct the same way that the party did when it was last in government.
The players like Peter David and Nazim Burke are no longer around to try and jostle for position as the heir to the throne.
Like the Keith Mitchell of old, Dickon Mitchell is the undisputed leader of Congress and no one in the fold will dare to challenge him for leadership of the party and much less the government.
Most of the other eight elected Members of Congress, except Mobilisation and Infrastructure Minister Andy Williams should understand that the role of Dickon Mitchell helped them to victory on Election Day.
There are MP’s on the Government side in Parliament who won seats largely because of the mood in the country for regime change and persons voted for some of them without even seeing or personally knowing them.
With the NNP signaling its intention to start the rebuilding process, the NDC must be mindful of the current situation.
Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell should be mindful of the fact that governments have a tendency in office to perform badly and lose elections but it is political parties that win at the polls through organisation and strategic planning and thinking of the road ahead.
The current General Secretary of NDC, Learrie Barry has a serious role to play in ensuring that the party is put on a sound footing to battle and conquer all challengers on polling day in 2027.
This is not about “ole talk” as most of the leaders of NDC who should be doing the serious party work that lies ahead are currently in the government and performing their roles at the State level.
The organisational skills of Mr. Barry will be put to the test in the upcoming weeks and months ahead in order to ensure that Congress remains very competitive and be in a good position to hold onto power at the governmental level.
The General Secretary has to break the vicious cycle of NDC being a one-term government like in 1990-95 and 2008-13 and give the party the breeding space to make sure that its Transformational Agenda gets a chance to blossom in the country.
The eyes of each and every Congress member and supporter in the country should be focused not only on their party but also on the happenings within NNP as it seeks to rebound following its defeat at the polls just over two months ago.