EDITORIAL
The
New National Party (NNP) which now holds the reins of power in
Grenada is behaving like an opposition party in waiting for government.
Its two most recent public statements have only served to hurt
the image of both the government and party as a whole.
The first related to the defacing of a billboard that was placed
on the Sugar Mill Roundabout either by the government itself or
the party. That is not clear in the minds of many.
This release clearly pointed a finger at the main opposition National
Democratic Congress (NDC) as the culprit for the act of vandalism
on the billboard. No evidence of any sought has been advanced
by the ruling party to support its claim.
And within a few days of this release, the NNP put out another
public statement which again linked the Congress party with breaking
into its head office on Lucas Street and removing among other
things a computer.
The release said in part: “Hours after the Government released
a statement regarding the defacing of its billboard at the Sugar
Mill roundabout last week, the NNP OFFICE was then the venue for
an intruder.
“This is now the third forced entry into the NNP office
for this year and we find it strangely coincidental that this
break-in and the recent defacing of our Government's billboard
did occur not too long after the NDC's public meeting last Sunday
at the Sugar Mill roundabout.
We also find it strangely coincidental that the NDC leadership
would occupy its time to discuss a simplistic matter of a billboard
and simultaneously to find it necessary to remind its supporters
'not to deface the NNP billboard'.
The public therefore needs to be reminded that the said leadership
of the NDC is well known to have made several inflammatory and
inciteful statements during and after the last general elections
and more recently at its public rally which may have caused one
or two misguided supporters to be stirred up or encouraged into
wrongful and illegal actions.
The NDC leadership cannot distance itself from the misguided actions
of its few supporters when it fails to refute statements such
as 'we shall make your government ungovernable' and allow other
known elements to be on its platform to endorse and make similar
statements”.
GRENADA TODAY is convinced that the NNP is trying to make political
mileage over a particular type of criminal offence that has become
virtually the norm in the society. Not a week will pass without
reports making the rounds of some kind of criminal activity in
this country.
There are some persons who can attest to certain business places
and private homes becoming targets of intruders. Often times,
the police have their work cut out for them in trying to arrest
the situation.
Let it be known that this newspaper is totally against persons
who take the law into their own hands and make illegal entries
into both public and private property. We are sure that the members
of the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) would be the first to
admit that in recent times (RGPF) the country has been affected
by a number of break-ins especially in the Calivigny/Westerhall
areas.
And while the NNP/Government was quickly off the mark to inform
the nation about what could well be a simple break-in at its main
office, the powers-that-be continue to be dead silent on the missing
arms and ammunition at the Richmond Hill prison.
This is a major issue that poses a serious threat to National
Security and those in charge are doing virtually nothing to reassure
the public that the situation is under control. Could you imagine
a situation in which eleven high-powdered rifles are missing from
the prison and the public are being kept in the dark?
It is our contention that there are much more important and burning
issues that need to be addressed in this country instead of the
regime trying to seek cheap political mileage on the actions of
one intruder to force his way into the party’s main office.
The Electoral Office on Lucas Street which is near to the NNP
headquarters was also recently broken into. Could it be the same
intruder who did both jobs? Is the culprit one of the many “drakes”
that roam our towns and cities on a nightly basis.
This newspaper would like to see the NNP and government-of-the-day
place more emphasis on arresting the vexing and unsightly situation
of vagrants taking over our dustbins in the city rather than trying
to score cheap political points over its opponents.
This week sees the start of the Winter Cruise Ship season and
the Ministry of Health should get down to work as quickly as possible
along with the police to rid the city of these vagrants who are
doing nothing but embarrassing this country of ours.
Each and every day, one can see these vagrants feasting from the
garbage thrown into the dustbins. The situation is really disgusting.
If resources have to be found to take care of these vagrants then
so be it. We need to get them off the streets.
The authorities cannot sit idle by and allow these vagrants in
the city to pose a threat to the health of others in the society.
The State has a responsibility to protect the wider population
from these vagrants who are nothing but a menace to society.
