Caribbean News Now!

Dear Sir:

As the politics of emptiness and spite continue to dawn on the political landscape, driving the proverbial wedge of inevitable party separation, the electorate, in a horrifying nightmare, will finally wake up to a new reality on February 20, 2013. But it’s anyone’s guess what that reality would be. Can Tillman Thomas and his National Democratic Congress (NDC), in the seat of power in Grenada for four-and-a-half years, enjoying an eleven seat majority in Her Majesty’s Parliament, convince the people that the NDC has done enough to deserve a second term in office and of “good things to come”, relying on “trust” and 13 years of alleged NNP corruption?

NDC leadership and party bosses claim that the facts are clear and unquestionable, but have had four years to present evidence of corruption against the NNP required to meet the legal muster in a court of law. However, the NDC with top legal heavyweights and in full control of parliament, absolutely nothing, not even an inquiry into alleged wrongdoing by the NNP has surfaced. The “Brief Case” seemed to have drifted away and sank when Jonah was thrown overboard.

Forecasted winds of change unpredictably strong, panic stricken strategic political engineering bulldozed natural barriers, leaving rear flanks exposed. Faced with the unanticipated change in the gale force intensity and direction, a desperate NDC attempt to rebuild barriers in the advancing surge may prove futile, “too little too late.”

Difficulty in presenting charges of alleged corruption against the NNP, according to Prime Minister Tillman Thomas and the NDC executive, lies with the complexity in delivering on evidence, in this particular case, to the legal system. The NDC is confident that, if the evidence were to be examined in court of law, conviction is certain. The political divide may think differently!

The incessant hammering of corruption allegations on political platforms, with no material evidence, after years of rumour and innuendo in a country where the prime minister stresses respect for democratic institutions and the rule of law, may have led rational and reasonable Grenadians to think that the upper echelons of the NDC have been grandstanding on course with “the politics of emptiness and spite.”

It cannot be escaped that neither “case nor brief case” has been presented!

Expelling ten of its most brilliant and proactive members, including five sitting parliamentarians, in an arrogant and humiliating public display – a farce rejected by the court in an injunction against the expulsion – only cemented “the politics of emptiness and spite” and the woeful inability of the leadership to reach out and keep the “flock” together, in the minds of thoughtful and independent thinking Grenadians.

The fellowship within the ranks of the party and the platform of “trust” that the NDC now relies upon to win the heart of the Grenadian electorate may be the harvesting of fallow ground.

This is a far cry from the confident and up-beat NDC of July 8, 2008. Today, the former faithful opine, with disappointment, that the NDC contract and fiduciary duty with the people has been broken and may be forever lost. Time will tell.

Meanwhile, the NNP is surrounded by “fields of green” with the expectation of a bountiful harvest -- unless descended upon by invading locusts. Dr Keith has promised to right the wrongs and mistakes of the past on a platform of inclusion – fearlessly and openly extending the olive branch and brashly recruiting the best and brightest minds to bring jobs to the people and break the cycle of crippling unemployment, especially among the youth with estimates of over 40%.

NNP’s message of hope and the promise of “bread on the poor man’s table” -- thus far -- appears to trounce NDC’s inharmonious political record and platform of “trust” -- translating to a groundswell of support for Dr Mitchell’s NNP.

But politics is dynamic and political fortunes can change overnight. The NNP political veteran, keenly aware of this, has sleekly commandeered media airtime, gaining a commanding advantage over the lethargic efforts of the NDC.

Nevertheless, the political jostling and positioning for advantage at the polls is far from over. Word from political forecasters and pundits puts NDC political stock at a deflated value and think that an immediate and major boost in tempo is needed if the party is to raise a credible challenge. The upcoming Grenadian general election, February 19, 2013, is NDC’s D-Day.

Kit Stonewalling

Reads: 2321


Tweet