Leadership squabble in New Democratic Party

29.AUG.08

EDITOR: It is now an open secret that the rank-and-file of the opposition NDP do not support Arnhim Eustace as their Political Leader. Their problem is that they have no credible person to put in his place. So, he exists by default. That is a sorry state for this once dominant party to be in.{{more}}

As the ULP renews and consolidates itself as a party and a government, the NDP folks are panicking. Open warfare is what Eustace faces now, but the anti-Eustace factions (and there is more than one faction) have no serious person to put. Even Jonathan Peters, politically comatose for 15 years as a taxi driver and gas station attendant in the USA, after he ran away from St. Vincent and the Grenadines as a sitting MP and Minister, fancies his chances against Eustace. Peters may be politically loony but even he is emboldened to challenge his leader.

On the air waves, daily, Frank Da Silva rants and raves for the return of Sir James Mitchell who has been having more and more senior moments of memory lapses and so forth in his public utterances. This does not stop Frank verbally abusing Eustace in the worst possible ways. Mitchell’s surest sign that he has lost it completely is the frequent presence of Ivan O-Neal in his company in Bequia. This is now more than a job and it is so humiliating to Eustace, Mitchell, O’Neal, Junior Bacchus, Frank Da Silva, Linton Lewis and Jomo Thomas! Is Matthew Thomas there, too? What of Dougie De Freitas and Vinnie? Ralph must be laughing all the way to the polls!

Loraine Friday dreads the return of Sir James. This would mean the end of Friday’s uneventful foray into Vincentian politics. He would go back to Canada. Perhaps Mitchell’s daughter may be put in the Northern Grenadines and “Son” himself in the Southern Grenadines! That’s not far-fetched! After all, Sir James has title deed to the NDP as much as to the Frangipani Hotel.

With such a dispirited line-up, the NDP would be split. Maybe even Kenneth John may find his nemesis Ralph more bearable. The long and short of it is that the Opposition NDP is the laughing stock of our nation today.

Bernice Thompson