A former executive member of Grenada’s opposition New National Party (NNP) has called for former Prime Minister Keith Mitchell to take a back seat and allow the political organisation to find its way without his stranglehold.
The ex-NNP official blamed Mitchell for the current state of disarray within the NNP in the wake of the resignation of former Agriculture Minister Peter David which sparked the resignations of 23 persons from two Constituency branches of the party.
The latest batch of resignations Wednesday saw six members of the St Patrick West Constituency branch hand in their resignation letter to the NNP General Secretary Roland Bhola.
According to the former NNP high-ranking official, Mitchell orchestrated the events which led to David’s resignation in the manner in which he led an onslaught against him for seeking the job of Political Leader of the party at the December 15 party Convention.
“Karma is a dangerous thing. The grave you planned for others may just be for you,” said the resigned NNP member.
He told THE NEW TODAY that once Mitchell is seen as holding sway in the party, the NNP will continue to be in turmoil.
The six persons who quit the St Patrick West constituency branch are – Elphrege Phillip (Deputy Chairman), Augustine Pascal (Treasurer), Oliver Isaac (Public Relation Officer), Mikey Alexander, Nola Murray-Millette, and Alister Sylvester (Management Committee Members).
The latest resignations follow the recent mass exodus of all 17 executive members of the Town of St. George branch, signaling a widening rift within the opposition party.
“We take this opportunity to advise that we, the undersigned executive members of the Saint Patrick’s West constituency branch and the Management Committee, no longer wish to be associated with the New National Party,” said the letter to Bhola.
“Our resignation is premised in part on recent developments within the leadership of the party, which we believe have severely undermined the democratic tenets on which the NNP was founded,” it added.
The latest defections are linked to David’s resignation from the NNP.
David, considered a front-runner for the leadership of the party, withdrew from the race at the last minute, citing concerns over election manipulation in favour of former Education Minister Emmalin Pierre.
His departure set off a wave of discontent among party members, many of whom now accuse the NNP leadership of sidelining long-standing members and violating its own constitution.
The letter from the St. Patrick’s West branch echoes these grievances, specifically condemning the party’s handling of its December 15 convention.
“The sidelining of long-standing delegate members, including ourselves, during the convention was a deliberate and orchestrated effort to manipulate the outcome,” the signatories wrote.
“We protested this process in our letter dated December 5, yet our concerns were ignored. This blatant violation of the democratic rights of party members has led to a major fallout of large sections of the support base throughout the country.”
The resigning members argue that the NNP’s internal turmoil has crippled its chances of reclaiming power in the next general election.
“The orchestrated outcome of the convention has seriously undermined the party’s chances of regaining political power,” they asserted.
“It is against this backdrop that we took the decision not to allow ourselves to suffer another defeat at the polls under the leadership construct coming out of the convention.”
Well-placed sources within the NNP have told THE NEW TODAY that hundreds of party members and supporters around the country are very concerned about the recent spate of resignations and the image of the political organisation.
