Most if not all of our news media including J.K. Roberts’ policy paper of May 26, 2021 are currently informing the Grenadian public of an impending new political party in the making, which is in transition from the newest Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), to wit – The Grenada Movement (TGM), into a political organisation.
The general reaction to this event appears to be that of “euphoria”, as there seem to be a glimmer of light from the dark tunnel of the state of Grenadian political affairs under the visionless reign of the NNP administration; but Roberts’s policy paper mentioned above puts the Grenadian public on guard in the caption of his policy paper when he poses the question – “Would the working class prosper with the Grenadian Movement?”
It is now an open secret that for Grenada to empower its people from the remaining vestige of NNP neocolonialism, and to make any relevant and significant progress in the 21st century, which must be in the national interest and not as now obtained in the interest of the 5-10% of the NNP political elite, there must be an urgent change in the political culture of our country, which appears to be what this new party signifies.
It is this perception which has put the NDC in an unfortunate position, as the 20,000 or so supporters of this party have not witnessed any concerted action by that organisation since the loss of the election in 2018.
The “SILENCE”, and what appears to be the incapacity to constantly challenge and to seek reparation on behalf of we the people from the NNP in its incompetence, arrogance, victimisation and corruption in office, have not escaped the electorate.
The obvious question therefore is: “Has the NDC squandered its upcoming chances at the polls”? Perhaps it is a bit too early to intelligently answer this question, but time is not in its favour, and this scenario is what has made the current political dynamics interesting in the TGM’s transition into a new, and what appears to be a dynamic force for change – change for the better in the governance of our country.
In passing, it must not go unmentioned that the pronouncement by Mr. Preudhomme in a recent GBN “Beyond the Headlines” programme, when he indicated that systems are in place to RESURRECT GULP. In my view, the latter-day horrors of Gairy’s Mongoose Gang and his culture of rabid victimisation, which continues unabated under the NNP – would render GULP’s attempt back to democratic governance an uphill battle.
The logical thought process must then enquire – “What is change for the better”? In a recent GBN interview with political guru – Mr. Michael Baptiste on this subject, his insight was very instructive: The political party in the making, he opined must be a grassroots party which engages the working class of Grenada, it must start from the bottom up in the revitalisation of the rural economy with special emphasis in Agriculture, in order to bring prosperity to the masses and not just for those in the parish of St. George.
He further emphasised that Dr. Mitchell’s remit is to build 5 star hotels, as the economic saviour for job creation, which besides ravaging the environment of Pure Grenada, in reality only benefits the CBI “investors”, but does not meet the needs of the working population, for the obvious reasons – that the hotel industry is a fragile economic base, as the pandemic has taught us – and in any case the labour force it employs in construction, only provides temporary low paying jobs to able-bodied, semi-skilled and unskilled men and a few women, while the Grenadian staff operating the hotels are maids, gardeners and office helpers.
ALL the middle and top managerial jobs, both in construction and in running the hotels are filled by foreigners who repatriate their earnings abroad; (Poor Grenada) – while we continue to remain a small under-developed 3rd world country of “hewers of wood and carriers of water” to the CBI landlords.
We are now coming to the HARD question: How would change for the better be achieved in the current NNP stranglehold of our democratic institutions? To bring about the desired change would require a change of government. This can only be achieved by the functioning of an ELECTION OFFICE that is independent as provided in our constitution.
The management and operation of our election office is anything but transparent, and a free and fair election – in my view, is not possible under the present construct, without a clinical and scrupulous rectification of the electoral process, with no interference by the Prime Minister and purchasers of our CBI passports.
Would the TGM, however well received by the public as the vehicle for change be able to rectify the electoral process before the next general election in 2023? If this is not one of the first challenges on its election manifesto, then the noise in the market will CONTINUE to be a noise – may be even louder as the oppression intensifies.
In a related matter, reference must be made to Godfrey Augustine’s OUI CULTURE. On one of his recent programmes, he questioned whether our culture to CHEAT, especially AT ELECTION TIME, when the NNP uses the taxes of we the poor people to provide gifts of new fridges, cookers and building materials in order to BUY VOTES, in a one-sided spending spree in order to hold onto political power, is acceptable and could be regarded as a corrupt practice which must be abolished in favour of a level playing field?
What Grenada needs urgently TODAY in my view – is the coming together (a coalition) of ALL the small political splinter groups in ONE COHESIVE FORCE – so as not to split the votes in favour of the NNP, under the banner of TGM with the help of the Grenada Bar Association, to robustly challenge the NNP in a class action legal battle to save the country from imminent destruction by an EGOCENTRIC leadership that has long outlived its productive life, and has now become a regressive incubus around the neck of our country.
Norris Mitchell