Is NDP serious?

24.AUG.07

EDITOR: ‘Up and down this country, more and more persons are asking a political question of great relevance: Is the NDP a serious political organisation?

This query has been posed with greater urgency in recent times given some absurd positions taken and weak leadership displayed by the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP).{{more}} The NDP leadership terribly botched their protest march in June 2007. They had no issues on which to call for a closure of Kingstown; and the very poor turn-out at that protest march clearly showed that even their usual supporters were in no mood to support foolishness. Mr. Arnhim Eustace’s false start initially with that protest march by calling it on June 1st, the day for Common Entrance, was more than an indication that he is out of touch with the real world and is, for all practical purposes, politically brain-dead.

On each issue that the NDP has raised in recent months, they have been left stranded and they look truly inept. Part of the reason is that they have chosen trivial issues and have overplayed their hands each time. The other part of the reason is that the Comrade is a wily political fox. On each occasion, the Prime Minister has timed the demolition of the NDP beautifully. Sometimes he orchestrates the demolition from the House of Assembly; sometimes at Press Conferences; and other times even when he is overseas on business.

Let us identify the issues on which the NDP has been exposed as foolish: The release of the prisoner, Lawrence, on grounds of national security; the excellent Common Entrance Results, 2007, which they tried to dispute; the one dollar charge at the Grenadines wharf and their defeat in the Law Courts on it by the Comrade’s legal manoeuvre; their opposition to LIAT; their opposition to the appointment of Camillo Gonsalves, a qualified and suitable candidate, as UN Ambassador, and their unjustified withdrawal from the Constitutional Reform process on spurious grounds.

The one issue raised by the NDP of any seriousness since May 2007 is that of VAT. And they handled it so badly that it back-fired on them. Not once did they condemn price gouging of the consumers by some of their supermarket financiers. Meanwhile, the state-owned Food City stood manfully on the consumers’ side. When Ralph returned from Cuba after his medical treatment and appeared at the VAT Office and Food City on crutches, TV viewers and listeners saw a caring man. After that the VAT issue was on the back-burner because people trusted Ralph to do something about the matter. And he has done so; and he promises to do more by Budget time.

Eustace’s real problem is that he is a weak leader without a vision or philosophy. St. Clair Leacock and Daniel Cummings are not trusted by the people. They are seen in a very bad light for several reasons. And Eustace is led on radio by rabble-rousers such as Lynch, Frank DaSilva, Junior Bacchus, Matthew Thomas, Kenlyn, and Dougie De Freitas. Other Eustace advisers such as Adrian Fraser and Kenneth John have never been intellectually strong enough to back down the noises from the lowest common denominator on NDP FM. The blind leading the weak!

No wonder there is no room for plain-speaking NDP members such as Parnel Campbell and Carlyle Dougan who have been denouncing the Eustace crew as irrelevant to the politics of today.

Interestingly, Eustace no longer speaks much on economic issues of growth and the fiscal situation. The Comrade, through performance and intellect, has defeated Eustace there. Eustace is now trying to shake Ralph on political issues. He is out of his depth. The NDP is clearly not a serious entity! Ralph-hating and personal bitterness are driving them into damnation.

Thomas Burke