GRAND STANDING – NNP STYLE
–
Towards
the end of February, I was wondering what the caption of my March 2022 article
would be – when an announcement on public TV stated that on Sunday February 27,
2022 the NNP would be holding its convention, and that Prime Minister Mia
Motley of Barbados and Ms. Akima Paul would be the keynote speakers.
–
The
comments therefore, in this article is based on the report as provided on the
GBN evening newscast of February 28, 2022.
–
For
starters – let’s begin with the pronouncement by the Prime Minister that he
would not be giving the opposition NDC, a single seat at the next general
elections – they would have to earn it to get it. (Words to that effect). As
far as I can recall the voters rejected the request in the last two (2)
referenda by the NNP to change our constitution; so where does the incumbent
Prime Minister obtain the authority to hand out seats in any given general
election? Was that a subconscious reaction to the tampering of the electoral
process? Or as the Grenadian figure of speech so poignantly describes – “that
man has more guts than bolee”
–
This
type of bravado and grandstanding can only have traction with the simple minded
audience in attendance, and one wonders what type of effect this have had on
the presence of his window dressing – in the person of the Barbados Prime
Minister, whose erudite remarks as far as the TV broadcast indicated, was one
of a general nature in calling on the regional governments of CARICOM to come
together in unity for a stronger and more effective presence on the global
stage, which perhaps disappointedly to Dr. Mitchell’s expectation – had very
little to do with an insular political convention. – It would have been
interesting to hear the keynote speaker – Ms. Akima Paul’s rendition, which
unfortunately was not a significant component of the GBN broadcast.
–
However,
later in the evening of the said February 28th 2022, the GBN’s Beyond the
Headlines programme – had in attendance Ms. Emmaline Pierre and Mr. Roland
Bolah of the NNP to give their take on the convention, and on the party’s
performance to date. As could be expected the praise for the party’s delivery
to the Grenadian people after being in office well over 30 years – was profuse;
and the tagline: “Experience before Youthfulness” – came through almost like an
NNP mantra; in a subtle appeal to return an outmoded party back into office.
–
At
this moment of reckoning, it is only right and appropriate that WE THE PEOPLE
should be the judge and jury in assessing the performance of the NNP and to
decide whether Grenada, post-independence has made any significant progress or
not. In this regard, in conversation with a prominent Grenadian as few weeks
ago, he posed the question: “What local plan over the years has the NNP
government provided for the upliftment of Grenada. He continued – “any
initiative that one hears about, originates from outside of the country, very
often for the foreigner’s benefit (echoes of CBI) – as if Grenadians do not
have the brain power for its own indigenous creative development”.
–
I
had to draw my friend’s attention, that after almost 40 years as the
parliamentary representative for the South West constituency, which has
remained in the same state of backwardness over the years – Dr. Mitchell in now
planning/implementing what he calls a LEGACY PROJECT at the evening of his
political career; so the question is asked – “what is the number of years – in
obtaining political experience that one must have, before discerning the needs
of a community and endeavor to uplift them from a pre-colonial existence, 48
years after independence?”
–
This
is why a new VISION is required, if Grenada is to take advantage of the
opportunities that are available at the beginning of the 3rd decade of the 21st
century – “as we aspire build and grow” into “a people in more than name”.
Norris Mitchell
11th March 2022