Prime Minister, stop playing nice guy with the NDP!

18.JAN.11

EDITOR: PM Gonsalves must stop trying to play house and play nice with the NDP.{{more}}

It has never been the NDP’s policy to cooperate and work with the government of Ralph Gonsalves. They have never pretended to want to work with the Government and have never played nice. Not that they have to, so why is PM Gonsalves pretending like they ever will.

The stalwarts in the NDP have never forgiven Ralph and the unions in SVG for cutting down their breadfruit tree. They hold them responsible for shortening the life of their government and for removing them from the stranglehold which they had on power in SVG. So, PM Gonsalves, they will never heed your call for together now, nor take hold of your olive branch. Your ministry of National Reconciliation will never get off the ground. Not while the stalwarts of the NDP and the old guards are still holding the puppet strings. If you don’t believe me listen to the tape of Carlyle Dougan raving and ranting at their recent press conference.

Shortly after being removed by the popular people’s revolution in 2001, the NDP set up their New Times programme hosted by E. G. Lynch. This programme, like a stone crusher, has slowly ground its way to become the most listened to and most popular programme in SVG. The no-holds-barred programme takes no prisoners and everything is up for discussion; from the PM’s family to many alleged improper use of public funds. No amount of lawsuits in the law courts has stopped Lynch and NDP, nor have these lawsuits forced them to play nice. So why do you, Mr. PM, think that they will ever play house with you?

As the New Year rolled in I anxiously awaited the resumption of the New Times programme on Nice Radio. As I awaited its return, I wondered if the NDP had finally seen the light and given E. G the boot. But no, E. G is back, yes, E. G is back. So, Mr. PM, do you still think the NDP is going to play nice? For the last 10 years the people have held the reins of the NDP. They had only three seats in Parliament. But even then they, NDP, grumbled. They breathed fire and spat venom. They concocted stories and allegations. The anger and hurt they felt never went away. After the results of the recent elections, do

you think the NDP has any reason

to play nice? They have not done it for 10 years. Why should they do it now?

So, Mr. PM, the NDP will not join your call for national reconciliation. They will not play nice. Stop playing games with the NDP.

Oswald Sutherland