CALLING ON THE ‘NEW’ NNP BIG BOYS TO SPEAK OUT!

CALLING ON THE ‘NEW’ NNP BIG BOYS TO SPEAK OUT!
It has taken no time at all, for Mitchell to put pepper in the eyes of his newly-acquired puppets who stood against him hardly five years ago.

Everyone knows that Peter David, Chester Humphrey and Karl Hood are now in bed with Keith Mitchell. In each case, they had declared that they had specific problems with the party to which they then belonged, the NDC.

After posturing in the Parliament for months, in the case of Karl Hood and for years in the case of Peter David, they both quit the Government that they had helped to establish. In Chester’s case, he had become sour initially over the Joe Gilbert-inspired stand-off with the Farm Roads Project, even though they do not publicly mention his role in that fiasco. How hypocritical?

We date Peter David back to the debate of the first NDC budget when, without securing his Government’s authorisation, he called for the creation of a Bi-partisan Committee on Foreign Affairs. This particular idea had no precedent in Grenadian politics or parliamentary practice. Some people wondered why Peter wanted to share the foreign policy space with the Opposition NNP. To have advanced the proposal unilaterally was even more alarming! But, remember that at that time, Peter David saw himself as the de facto Prime Minister. Do you think he will ever tell the public the true reason for that grand stand? Bet your bottom dollar that not even Hamlet will touch the subject on his behalf. This one HOT, HOT, HOT!

Let us establish, as fact, that Peter David and Chester Humphrey were highly influential in having the Free School Books Program among the promises of the NDC in the 2008 elections campaign. At the time, they were both concerned about improving the welfare of the working poor specifically, and the need for education to be established as a right to all Grenadians. On both counts, they were strongly supported. True to its word, the NDC delivered proudly on this promise; a program which has now become a legacy of the NDC administration, 2008-2013.

Now, today, both gentlemen are on the bandwagon of the NNP in very public and significant ways. Their new leader, Prime Minister Mitchell, has virtually declared war on the School Books Program, but not a word of concern or protest can be heard coming from the lips of Peter or Chester. Neither have they called upon their mouthpiece Hamlet Mark to spread the word. Actually, he no longer writes and publishes political blogs! And he dare not cause any such ‘blasphemy’ to be published in the CARIBUPDATE Newspaper. In any event, having been richly rewarded by the NNP for his deeds, his services for the purposes of political mischief are no longer available.

But there is Toro. At least he could do the job given his strong working class credentials. Still not a word! If not Toro, then what about Arley? Although he cannot be a third man on the bed between Peter and Keith, he certainly can speak from the floor! He is well known for his ability to speak loudly, if not clearly.

The 2013 budget offered help with uniforms and transportation for needy students, but not the introduction of a School Bus Service as demanded of the NDC by Comrade Chester. Have you heard him complaining and criticising his new master on this matter? No papa, not a single word! And he can’t say his time is taken up fighting for his job as PRESIDENT-GENERAL-FOR-LIFE OF TAWU. We all know that he can multi-task even though he may consider himself a “techno-peasant”.

Then there is the issue of the National Debt. This one beats all cock fight! Mr Peter David, during his infamous attack on his own Government in 2012, told the world that his biggest problem with the NDC Government was that they were spending too much paying the debt and not looking after the poor people. Lo and Behold, his newly-beloved Prime Minister has announced that the largest allocation under the 2013 budget, some 41% of recurrent revenue, is going towards paying the debts. Have you heard as much as a squawk from Peter! Is he no longer concerned about the poor in Grenada? What is really going on with this fella?

But the situation gets even more intriguing as just days ago the Government announced that the Prime Minister and the ‘one and only’, Peter David, were going to Venezuela to raise a loan from ALBA Bank. So you see for yourself that Peter is now happy to be putting the country in more debt, and that money is not to feed the poor! Has he lost his English tongue? Folks always thought he could be bi-lingual. Hola, muchacho!

You think the forces easing up on Peter? Dead wrong! Derek James has just been appointed Honorary Consul for Grenada in New York. But James had maintained that he was Consul General until his dismissal, notwithstanding the position of the State Department. Peter himself came on TV and radio to say that as Foreign Minister he had found a solution to enable James to function as Consul General. They and others roundly criticised Tillman for dealing with the Derek James fiasco. But what is intriguing is that today the same Peter is Advisor and Envoy Especial to Keith Mitchell and they could do no better than to appoint James as Honorary Consul General. Can you believe that? Pity we won’t get a comment from Pedro on this one! He shame plate keep expanding with political heat. One of these days it will surely break!

Something beyond the human senses is going on here. Something big is working its magic in the political lives of Peter and Humphrey!

But they have company! The thing now start! Bring your minds back to Karl Hood’s grand stand during the debate of the 2012 budget while he was still a member of the NDC Government. Mr Hood openly protested in Parliament and in the media thereafter, that the allocation for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, of which he was Minister, was insufficient. Today, his newly-beloved leader has cut that Ministry’s allocation by 28%, bringing it back to 2008 levels. Boy oh boy! Have you heard as much as a mutter from Hood? Is he not happy to share in that reduced allocation as he will on becoming an Ambassador for the NNP abroad? Perhaps Karl has so much money in motion that he is contracting to provide his services for no pay in dollars! Maybe payment in kind in the form of the latest model Hummer will be sufficient for him! Why not?

Ah like how we living! We may not live for long, but we sure having fun with the lives of the people of Grenada. Make no mistake about it, cheap politics has just gotten a lot cheaper! And men with money may well acquire a lot more money. They say politics in Grenada today is about money and sometimes cheap money flows left and right, and here and there at a blinding pace. It’s the Season, right?