Tue, Nov 6, 2012

Editor: The pack of jokers in the NDP wants to play ‘mas but fraid powder.’ The remnant of what was a vibrant political party under Sir James Mitchell continues to lambast the Gonsalves led ULP administration every day, but cries foul when the Comrade responds. This is a competitive democracy. Does the NDP leadership expect the ULP to defend their record and “character” with kid gloves?{{more}} How can the NDP with one breath perpetuate all that is wrong with partisan politics in SVG and with another breath seeks to demonize the ULP for the divisiveness? Is the New Times program, NDP Night Time, Current Affairs and other radio programmes “hymnals of peace” or “hymnals to remove the Comrade by all means?”

Nice Radio

No serious minded ULP or NDP partisan or any Vincentian in that regard would like to see Nice Radio go. In fact, many ULP supporters would contribute to the “Save Nice Radio” appeal, including this letter writer. However, it has not passed this writer that the NDP has a serious “personal relations deficit.” At every occasion that their “main” stalwarts have faced crises, the NDP has been lethargic at best. One may argue that it is becoming an epidemic. The Arnhim Eustace led inner circle has failed at every opportunity to be decisive. They were wrong on Anesia Baptiste. They supported and championed Anesia’s “holy war” as a public servant against her employer (Government), wrapped in freedom of speech. Soon thereafter, the same NDP, in a chess game of power politics placed a limit on these freedoms.

Look at how they have been slow to respond to E.G.Lynch’s medical treatment and Burton Williams’ court matter. It has taken the ULP and the media to awaken the NDP’s leadership sensitivity on these matters. The NDP is already asleep as the conductor. Should we give them the wheel of government?

Back to Nice Radio. Douggie De Freitas is a good soul and everyone agrees that there should be more people like him in our society. Madam Editor, herein is the problem. This judgment is now new. The case involves reckless statements from an NDP spokesperson. Therefore, it baffles me that at the bare minimum, the NDP had not shown an ounce of empathy towards Mr De Freitas and Nice Radio. Again, the Vincentian public watched as the NDP sat on the sidelines as efforts to save Nice Radio were nurtured. Of course, like vultures, they would ride this wave to an end that is uncertain, viz-a-viz Anesia et al.

Strategic Communication Laboratories (SCL) washed NDP ineffective leadership and institutional weaknesses with millions of pounds. Their referendum campaign and 2010 election campaign was all glitz and glamour. The innumerable posters, t-shirts and other paraphernalia that they ‘bought’ were free money. The dazzling lights for the Etana-the strong one concert was not ‘petty’ money either. The buy-in on almost every radio station, the TV, and the newspapers here was not a sweat. So why, in all their gyrating to a perceived election sweep, no one had the prudence to at least make a deposit on this so called ‘save democracy’.

They were singing and dancing, revelling and postulating in the finest form of democracy anywhere in the world, but no one of sound mind was to be found. After an electoral defeat, St. Vincent is now a communist country, PM Gonsalves a socialist and the list filled with the bitter-taste at the altar of democracy continues. Furthermore, Madam Editor, don’t you find it strange that the initial “Save Nice Radio” appeal fund was not paid on the judgment? Wouldn’t have $30,000.00 made a good case to the court with further incremental payments showing that the fund managers were committed to the task? The question then remains, why should the court now trust the very same people to pay?

A little prudence and honesty in the earlier stages would have placated this deceit that the Comrade is a heartless man. I am sure that if these steps were taken 2-3 years ago, Nice Radio would not have been in the headlines today.

Comrade Julian don’t ‘whistle’

Sighs! I have to agree with Comrade Ralph’s assessment of this November 8th march up to Sion Hill. This is another ‘power politics’ move by the NDP leadership. Word on the ground appears to suggest that there is a lack of urgency or mobilization. It seems everything is “leaderless”. After the mountain of bad news, including the Canadian visa imposition, the Othneil Whyte saga, continued slow economic growth, salary increase etc, etc, Thursday will not shake the 8-7 balance of power in SVG. In my personal assessment, the issues here are serious and there is much room for debate, but when the public is being asked to be a sacrificial lamb to quench NDP internal fissures or to gain the ears of donors then “what a tangled web we weave when we first set out to deceive.”

The last time the NDP engaged in serious protest action, they had misread the public’s mood and appetite for political wrangling. We have to reform our ideas on protest action. Instead of a meeting with candlelight, walking in the shadow of night, the NDP and its leadership should be engaging the teachers outside schools, showing their support; they should be at the hospital at noon to speak to the nurses, the party should be engaged in party philosophy teaching and the like. They should be more visionary and inspirational. The last thing people want in their “personal gloom” is to be led by “carriers of despair” and not hope. Spread a cheerful news and not the “sky is falling” cynicism. Talk about how a new NDP administration will change the institutions of government, because this is where our problems exist.

But, of course, this will not happen. So the NDP will go ahead with their planned march and rally. There will be a regurgitation of issues galore, punctuated with a copy and paste of the now out-dated economic plan. The ULP will watch; on Friday, the radio callers will evaluate, then every eye will be on comrade Julian. The last time he whistled, for many months, the NDP was afraid to speak about protest in St Vincent and the Grenadines. In fact, one wonders if they have forgotten such short history when they thought the government was “hanging by a thread”. As the ULP’s anniversary quickly approaches, and as things remain “penny wise pound foolish”, Comrade Julian will be well advised to play a steady hand and concentrate on issues of governance and party building.

Adaiah J. Providence-Culzac
cemsvg@gmail.com