by Linda Straker
Nazim Burke, leader of the main opposition party National Democratic Congress (NDC) has said that the recent Cabinet reshuffle is one that is clearly about party politics and not national development.
“A Cabinet reshuffle is supposed to be about improving management of the state, but what was announced by Dr Mitchell on Wednesday, was clearly about party politics, not national development,” read a statement issued by NDC.
“What was presented as a national address was nothing but a NNP position that could easily have been conveyed to members in a party meeting,” read the statement which quoted Burke as saying there was no mention of other issues the party considers to be more important than reshuffling of the Cabinet.
“There was no mention of issues of national importance, such as productivity to stabilise the economy and remove it from life support, sexual crimes against women, girls and boys, the critically high youth unemployment, the citizenship by investment programme which is now under a dark cloud with allegations of corruption and sale of diplomatic passports and the deplorable state of the facilities to care for the mentally ill,” said Burke.
Describing the speech as a political campaign message speaking to voters, the statement said that the national address which besides announcing the reshuffle also focus on 2017 carnival celebrations and the reopening of school was ‘simply a man begging to remain in office so that the country’s scarce resources can be kept for himself and his chosen few.’
“The time has come for the people of Grenada to be more than spectators in their own country, and this address, which was not a national address from the prime minister, is a wake-up call for voters that his administration is about his party, not the nation,” the statement read.
Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell addressed the nation on Wednesday night, announcing some minor changes to the cabinet, the retirement of a senator from Parliament, the departure of a government minister to focus on private work and the appointment of a 2-member team to investigate why Panorama 2017 was cancelled on the night of 12 August.
