A recent comment made by former Grenada Prime Minister Keith Mitchell has sparked a great deal of debate in the country.
These were the words used by the political boss of the main opposition New National Party (NNP) last weekend at his birthday bash: “Now all you getting fired yea – Buller Man cleaning out everybody.” This statement must be seen in two particular contexts given the backdrop in which it was made by the island’s longest serving Prime Minister.
The event was attended by at least two persons who had association with the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) in which he served as their Line Minister in his capacity as Minister for National Security. THE NEW TODAY discovered that at least one of the persons is no longer a police officer and no action could be taken against him by the Commissioner of Police or even the Public Service Commission (PSC).
It is our firm position that these individuals were free to attend a birthday party for Keith Mitchell or even current Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell based on their friendship with the individual. However, the comment from the former Prime Minister was intended to convey the impression that public officers are being victimised on political grounds for being seen in events involving opposition elements.
It is nothing but a deliberate attempt by the Political Leader of NNP to score cheap political points. But the wider context in which the unfortunate comment must be seen is the attempt by Keith Mitchell to smear the image and character of the current holder of the post of Prime Minister of Grenada, Carriacou & Petite Martinique.
There has been a deliberate attempt in recent months by the NNP and its surrogates to paint a particular picture of Dickon Mitchell in their attempt to destroy him as a politician. The opposition has unfortunately been trying to implicate the Prime Minister in the murder of well-known LGBT member, Josiah “Jonty” Robinson whose body was found on BBC Beach in Morne Rouge.
Persons well-known and associated with NNP have been spreading the propaganda that a member of the Security Detail of the Prime Minister was “the killer” because of what was discovered on the dead’s man cellphone.
Dr. Mitchell is well-known to be a man who displays two or more faces depending on what he is trying to portray to his supporters and the rest of the country. The NNP leader called for Scotland Yard and other international law enforcement agencies to come into the country and assist RGPF to solve the Jonty murder and a few others that were unsolved at the time.
The ex-Prime Minister gave the impression that he was sympathetic to that prominent member of the Gay Community and that no stone should be left unturned to find the culprit. However, a few weeks later this same individual who once held the high office of Prime Minister was casting negativity towards the LGBT Community in Grenada with his use of the derogatory term “Buller Man.”
There has been a deafening silence from those within the Conference of Churches of Grenada (CCG) and more so the Catholic Bishop of St George Clyde Harvey in pulling up Keith Mitchell for this vulgar attack on the LGBT community on the island. The NNP Leader did not make any mistake in using his birthday party to lash out in a very clandestine manner at Dickon Mitchell.
This aging leader who was rejected by the electorate 17 months ago is still harbouring thoughts of regaining the Prime Minister’s job in the country and will use whatever means necessary and available to him in order to do a hatchet job on the current office holder.
During the campaign, information was picked up from the NNP early morning strategic meetings about instructions that were given to a well-known journalist to destroy Dickon Mitchell at all cost by saying anything nasty about him whether or not it was true or false.
Those who attended the meetings including a well-known trade unionist cannot truthfully deny that those instructions were given as the NDC was gaining momentum with each passing day and was well-posed to defeat the ruling party in the June 23, 2022 poll.
Finally, THE NEW TODAY is making a call for the current NDC government as part of its Transformational Agenda to depart from the policy that was pursued by its predecessor in office and make provisions for all former Prime Ministers and Governor Generals to be afforded diplomatic passports and use of the Diplomatic lounge in travelling overseas.
A deliberate policy should be put in place to allow these persons to have diplomatic passports in their possession as anything else is nothing but demeaning and shows lack of respect for persons who once occupied the two most important positions in the country in keeping with the Grenada Constitution.