JAN 24

The ruling New National Party (NNP) of Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell is experiencing problems in the South St. George Constituency which fell in the November 27 general election to the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Informed sources told GRENADA TODAY that the party has lost the services of Charmaine Hall, the Personal Assistant to the former Member of Parliament for the constituency.

Hall was given the job by ex-Minister of State for Information Mark Isaac who did not seek re-election to office.

She was kept on the job by new Health Minister Ann David-Antoine who eventually contested the seat for NNP but lost to NDC's Glynis Roberts.

A well-placed source said that after the NNP's humiliation in the poll in which seven members lost their seat, there was a fall-out between David and Hall on the working of the constituency.

"I understand that Charmaine curse the woman (David-Antoine) and walked out of the job", he remarked. Hall could not be reached for comment on the issue.

However, the source said that a number of senior party offiicals are now blaming Hall's performance for the loss of support for the NNP in the southern most constituency. He claimed that a number of persons refused to get involved in active party work for the NNP due to Hall's attitude towards them.

The source also blamed the NNP's defeat in South St. George to the poor choice of candidate by the ruling party.
He said that Antoine was not known by many constituents like Isaac and that she had "a kind of stand-offish attitude to people".

Another NNP insider said that Hall's exit is not a surprise since Antoine is not qualified to receive state funds to operate her party office along the Belmont main road in St. George's.

He spoke of government's own regulation stipulating that only elected Members of Parliament on the government side would be afforded Personal Assistants and be allocated the $1500.00 a month as a Constituency Allowance.

The source pointed out that the NNP has started to rebuild for the next general election and Antoine is planning to stage a number of high profile activities.

He made mention of a clean-up drive for next Sunday around the Grand Anse Post Office and Medical Centre down to the beach in which local television stations will be brought in to provide coverage.

A few NNP activists were seen last Sunday engaged in a clean-up exercise in the Morne Rouge area.

The move by NNP is apparently aimed at countering a series of self-help projects already undertaken in the constituency by Roberts who is in charge of a community-based group.