NDP fires opening salvo

Tue, Jul 20, 2010

The battle to determine who will be in charge of the ship of state, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, for the Parliamentary term 2011-2016, has well and truly begun. This follows the 32nd Annual Convention of the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) this past Sunday.{{more}}

The NDP, which lost control of the reins of power in 2001 and has been on the Opposition benches ever since, had served notice that the Convention would have been aimed at putting the party on a “war footing”, that is, gearing it for election mode. It was true to its word.

A packed audience at NDP Headquarters was buoyed up by NDP leaders, exuding confidence of being first across the line when the election race is called and openly speaking of “when” they are returned to power. Hence, in addition to the normal disparagement of ULP rule and scathing criticism of the actions of Prime Minister Gonsalves and his ministers, the Convention went one step further by beginning to sketch outlines of policy positions which it considers priorities. This is a most welcome development and falls in line with the NDP’s analysis that it is “on the brink of being returned to power”.

Nevertheless, in spite of the expressed conviction that the NDP will again occupy the corridors of power, the leadership of that Party knows that it is not there yet, and as former Prime Minister Mitchell warned, the campaign is one battle, but the real one will be won on election day. Privately, the NDP, like the ULP, must be commissioning polls to determine its standing and these will no doubt guide their strategies. Yet, if the views expressed on talk-shows, at the village squares and on the street corners are to be a guide; if it still holds that calypsonians represent a barometer of which way the political wind is blowing, then it appears that the NDP fortunes are perhaps better than it has been for the past 10 years.

It has endured the pain of successive defeats, demoralization and frustration and has persevered. Now, emboldened by the historic victory in last November’s referendum on constitutional reform, the NDP seeks to capitalize on that triumph and to use it as a springboard to try and secure victory in the next election. The Convention was one step along that path. The tone of the gathering, the advice from its founder, Sir James Mitchell, the setting out of policy positions by party leader Mr. Arnhim Eustace, and the emphasis of electoral candidates addressing their constituents, all indicate that the NDP is priming itself for the final hurdle.

So the gauntlet has been thrown down for the incumbent. The speakers at Sunday’s convention placed a lot of emphasis on democracy, good governance and an end to corruption; a curious twist, since those were the very issues used against it by the ULP in 2001.

Significantly, after making serious allegations of corruption against the ULP administration, the NDP has made a break with the practice of past administrations by pledging not to set up any expensive Commissions of Enquiry into alleged misdeeds, but to go the route of forensic audits and criminal prosecution if wrongdoing is found.

Mr. Eustace set out a number of basic policy areas with the priority being that of tackling the state of the economy, especially the state of government finances and stimulating economic growth. These, he said, form the gangplank of the platform on which the NDP’s challenge for power will be based.

One can only expect heated political debate and discussion over the next few months. The election season has begun in earnest.