‘Vincentians showing disapproval of two major parties’

23.NOV.07

Editor: Many Vincentians believe that a serious, committed, well-organized, surely non-green party set of grass roots young people can respectably challenge for parliamentary control in the 2010 General Elections.{{more}} St. Vincent and the Grenadines may well be poised to rewrite the pages of a third party fate within the Caribbean since polls conducted recently show major disapproval of the two major parties.

ULP SCENARIO

Many factors have been attributed to the Unity Labour Party loss of popularity among the poor and working class of our society. The ULP government has failed to consolidate on its rapid developmental agenda and its political assertiveness as an Institution.

Introduction of the Value Added Tax (VAT), online system at Customs, rising oil and food prices internationally and an ailing agricultural sector have been met with a vibrant and committed ULP team.

Many Parliamentary representatives have already given up on their constituents. One just has to ask the Prime Minister whatever became of the Constituency report cards for the representatives. We can further ask when was the last time a Constituency Council meeting was held in East Kingstown.

Reports coming from within the party even raise more concerns for the party in its re-election bid. At a closed meeting, the party frustratingly dealt to no avail with two important matters. The first crisis involves the present state of its Youth Arm and the Youth Executive which were once very vibrant. History acknowledges that the party had major plans for this important arm at a convention led by PM Gonsalves. The second crisis facing the party at the meeting was the failure of Senators Richard Williams, Rochelle Forde and Ronald Marks to even cause a spark of hope in their respective constituencies. The senators in Parliament have not bourn fruit and a mini cabinet re-shuffle next year would see their replacements.

The real disappointment to me is that the Unity Labour Party has not learnt its lesson. The names of Saboto Caesar and Luke Brown continue to represent the ULP neglect of grass root intellects that have come through the party’s structure.

The party is bent on selecting candidates who can only offer plastic smiles and false hope that they actually believe in poor people’s plight. Why did they never join the Youth Arm or contribute meaningfully through community based organizations? It would take another expensive and extensive salesmanship of Gonsalves to rub this in the face of its declining foot soldiers. Mr. Browne’s defence of the class inequality while responding to Otto Sam within our small society speaks volumes of the ULP’s new found ‘blue eyes’ just like Mr. Arnhim Eustace who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

NDP, Oh NDP

I do not want to sound overly critical of the NDP but my regular readers will be disappointed if I didn’t tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Franklyn, there is nothing really analytical that can be written under this heading except the following.

Results from the poll in East Kingstown firmly identify the weak leadership of the Opposition Leader Hon. Arhnim Eustace. Die Hard NDP-ites confirmed my assessment that the NDP is strategically weak under Mr. Eustace. Failure by persons in the NDP to challenge his leadership will mean that the party will continue to slip to ‘green party’ status, loose its support base and fail to attract new supporters. No one fights a lost cause.

One respondent highlighted that the ‘Kinder, Gentler Society’ that Mr. Eustace preaches cannot tackle their concerns of VAT, police brutality, rising food prices and stem the drug flow in our country.

The NDP needs to be re-awaken to the ‘new times’ and change their modus operandi. In my humble opinion, the party needs to refresh itself from Chairman to Committee members and I must pinpoint the General Secretary who has long gone over shelf life. Voters are not going to go down on a sinking ship with Norell Hull, Linton Lewis, Vynette Frederick (whose flames seem to have been consumed by lost popularity within the party as a sparkle of hope) and others.

Next week, I will explore the fate of a third party and may even try producing some suitable candidates. Until next time, keep the faith and be objective in your analyses.

Adaiah J Providence
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