The opposition New National Party (NNP) of Emmalin Pierre on Sunday launched its “Better Grenada” campaign for the November 5 general election.
Speaking at a mass rally held at the Car Park of the National Sporting Stadium at Queen’s Park, Pierre, a former Minister of Education, told party supporters to remain focused on winning at the polls to bring down the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) of Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell.
”Don’t mind the bribery and propaganda, I say one thing to you, stay focus and mind your business until 6.00 p.m. on the Fifth of November when Grenada will see a new government, when Grenada will see a party and a government that is formed among the people of this country,” she said.
Pierre’s NNP has also faced allegations of bribery.
One resident in her rural St Andrew South-east constituency has alleged that they have “resorted to paying bills for folks in South-east” such is the “desperation.”
As an elected Member of Parliament, Pierre was given EC$10, 000.00 a month to spend on projects in her Constituency.
In her address, Pierre promised to cut corporate tax from 28 % to 25 % as well as provide free transportation for students who need assistance, and expand night and weekend bus services.
She claimed that the business tax reduction being given by a NNP administration will give private sector businesses an opportunity to expand their operations, stimulate the economy and create employment.
“We want to be a partner with our business community,” she said, while pledging cooperation towards national and economic development.
Pierre, the first woman to lead the NNP into a general election since its formation in August 1984, is promising students free tuition, plus transportation, meal, and uniform assistance, adding that tuition relief alone was insufficient when children could not afford to get to school.
“We’re going to work with the Bus Association, and we are going to find a formula together so that we can run a proper pilot project for free transportation for students who need that support,” the NNP leader said.
Pierre is also promising to strengthen “safe, reliable, and dependable transportation at nights and on weekends,” noting that inadequate services should not prevent rural residents from accepting hotel jobs in the South of the island.
Other proposals included a medical card providing free doctor visits and basic prescription medication, solar farms across Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique, and a dedicated fund to assist farmers affected by praedial larceny.
The NNP boss is also promising elderly citizens that it will work with the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) to allow workers to retire between 60 and 65.
“We’re not going to force them to stay up to 65,” she remarked.
According to Pierre, a government formed by NNP after the national poll will invest aggressively in solar farms across the country to bring down electricity costs and ease the burden on Grenadian families as well as adjusting the increase in the monthly personal income tax threshold from EC$3,000 to EC$6,000, remove Value Added Tax (VAT) on electricity and sugar, abolition of the water levy and tax exemptions for tips, gratuities and bonuses.
“When we launch the manifesto, we will tell you how we intend to fund the Better Grenada plan,” she told supporters, as she also pledged to accelerate oil and gas exploration and development in order to deliver benefits throughout the country.
The NNP rally also saw former Prime Minister Keith Mitchell delivering a brief address in which he stated that the “NNP is bringing Pierre pressure” to the campaign.
Former St George North-east Member of Parliament for NNP, Tobias Clement also appeared on the platform and indicated that he had heeded the call made a few years ago by Keith Mitchell “for Tobby to come back home.”
Clement charged that Mitchell had cleaned the house of certain persons that he had admitted into the NNP fold.
This is a clear reference to left-leaning politician Peter David who joined NNP after he was expelled from Congress in 2012 following a failed attempt to wrest the party and government from then Prime Minister Tillman Thomas.
David had served as Foreign Affairs Minister and Minister of Agriculture under NNP until he quit the party nearly two years ago after Keith Mitchell attacked him for expressing an interest in becoming the new party boss.