Grenada’s November 5 general election campaign took a dramatic turn when three former government ministers of the former New National Party (NNP) of ex-Prime Minister Keith Mitchell came out publicly to give support to the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) of Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell.
The three – former Finance Minister Anthony Boatswain, ex-Agriculture and Implementation Minister Joslyn Whiteman and former Culture and Housing Minister Cuthbert McQueen appeared together Sunday night on the platform of Congress at a National rally held on the Pearl’s airstrip in the rural St Andrew North-east constituency.
Boatswain who appeared to be the leader of the trio called on Grenadians to give Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell and his team another five years in office to continue with the good work being done in managing the island’s economy.
The former Chairman and Treasurer of NNP said he took the decision to wear black throughout the election campaign period as he intends “to mourn until November 5 when we bury once and for all the New National Party.”
Boatswain has been elected on four occasions between 1999 and 2018 as the Member of Parliament for St Patrick West, while Mc Queen the St Andrew South-east seat in 1999 and in the same year Whiteman was victorious in St David.
The most vocal statement came from Whiteman, who urged the electorate to give the NDC a clean sweep of all fifteen seats at stake and not to elect any member on the NNP side.
The 87-year old Whiteman said: “I am one of these people who always put my country first and when I look at the manner in which the NDC has performed over the past few years I decided that if I had to crawl, I am going to be here tonight to endorse them and to show my support.
“Based on the performance of the National Democratic Congress I have decided to come out of retirement to show my support and between you and I, I want you to agree with me that the NNP should not win one dam seat,” he told the crowd estimated at over 11, 000 persons.
Mc Queen chided Keith Mitchell, the former NNP boss for tricking Grenadians eight years ago on the same Pearl’s airstrip at a rally three days before the 2018 general election on an announcement that oil & gas have been found in its territorial waters by a Russian group and that “plenty of money” will flow into the national coffers.
He recalled that he was at home when he heard “the gentleman (Keith Mitchell) say we have oil, we have gas and a lot of money and from the time he said a lot of money, I say oh gosh he catch them.”
Since the 2018 announcement, the Russian outfit known as Global Petroleum Group (GPG) has not dug any further well to tap into Grenada’s oil and gas reserves.
A few months ago, the Congress administration of Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell has terminated the Oil & Gas agreement signed with GPG.
McQueen also said that the country will get “a big surprise” on November 5 “as something is waiting there because a house where there is no love, no equal rights, no justice – that house will fall.”
The former MP is known to be working alongside the NDC Candidate former Education Minister David Andrew in his bid to defeat current NNP Leader Emmalin Pierre in the St Andrew South-east seat.
