I didn’t retire and sit down home – I am still active.
Those were the words coming from retired school teacher Matthew Joseph who is just about to enter the island’s Parliament as a Senator on the invitation of Opposition Leader, Tobias Clement.
In an exclusive interview with THE NEW TODAY, Joseph said that he has been very active since retiring from teaching especially around the affairs of the Grenada Co-operative Nutmeg Association for close to a decade and is now serving as one of its Directors on the governing board.
He also said he decided to accept the position to serve in the Senate because he felt that too many “good people” have been staying away from politics in Grenada and “you find other less desirables ending up in politics”.
“I honestly think that I can make a good contribution,” he added.
The Opposition Leader has sent his recommendation on Joseph’s appointment to Governor General Dame Cecile La Grenade to prepare the document for the island’s Parliament.
Joseph who is into farming in his village of Florida in St. John also served as Acting Principal of the Florida Government School from 1996-99 and retired from the teaching profession in 2015.
He is also the manager of Florida All-Stars steel orchestra and is engaged in mentoring the nation’s young people through a programme run by Grencoda, a non-governmental Organisation (NGO) based in the constituency.
Joseph was asked to comment on whether he would be keen on getting involved in frontline politics due to his decision to take up a place in the Senate.
He said that, “anything is possible” and with a big laugh quickly added, “I haven’t got to that point yet” but that he was leaving this open to him as an option.
“Once the chips fall in place then I will consider it,” he remarked.
Joseph who is seen in many quarters as a good candidate to contest general elections was also asked to comment on reports that the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) had approached him in recent times to help with its political work in the St. John constituency.
He said: “Yes, there were some discussions but …. Dr. George Vincent is still the person in charge in St. John’s. We had some discussions but the discussions were not conclusive bearing in mind that Dr. (George) Vincent is still officially the Caretaker for St. John’s.
Dr. Vincent contested the St. John seat for Congress in the 2013 and 2018 elections and lost on both occasions to Fisheries Minister, Alvin Da Breo.
Speculation is rife that he would not be offering himself again but NDC has been slow in naming a Caretaker for the constituency.
Asked whether he was a member of the Congress party, Joseph said: “I might be a member – you see for you to be a member you must be financial. That’s why I say might be because I’m not financial in relations to the NDC”.
The St. John resident stated that at all times he tries to be “a professional” in whatever he undertakes as a venture.
“I try to give 100% in what I do. I think that I am a trustworthy person too. Whatever I do I normally do it 100% and my thing is to try and make the world a better place.