EDITORIAL

Judgement day is coming!!!

The removal of Victor Ashby and Emmanuel Roberts from the Electoral Office is part of a wider scheme by the ruling New National Party (NNP) to remain in office after the next general elections.

This most recent development must be analysed in the context of the conclusion reached in the Briefcase Inquiry and the false claim by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy, Gregory Bowen that he was vindicated in the bribery case in the United States.

The NNP is desperately trying to clear the way for the holding of general elections, if possible before year-end. And it is bent on going to the electorate to parade both Keith Claudius Mitchell and Gregory Bowen as clean and dandy and smelling as sweet as roses.

The government has a ready-made excuse to give to the public for removing both Ashby and Roberts at the same time. In the case of Ashby, he has reached the mandatory age of retirement and even got a one year extension to remain on the job in his dual role of Principal of the Grenada Boys Secondary School (GBSS).

Mr. Roberts is a retiree from the service who is on pension but was brought back on contract by Governor-General, Sir Daniel Williams in 2002 to help mann the Electoral Office as one of two Assistant Supervisors of Elections.

With the country so close to general elections, why remove the two top and most senior and experienced officials from the Electoral Office? What is the plan that is about to unfold before our very eyes?
Quite frankly, this newspaper will not shed much tears for the plight of Ashby since there has been suspicions about the manner in which he ran the  office in the 1999 and 2003 general elections.

It is quite possible that the NNP leadership now has no use for Ashby to remain in office and is bent on looking beyond him with someone else in mind to help with holding onto power at all cost.

Fortunately for us at GRENADA TODAY, we were able to speak directly with Mr. Roberts who confirmed the report making the rounds several weeks now that the authorities did not want him to remain in office for the elections.

Mr. Roberts was told by his own brother (Kennedy Roberts) who is a member of the ruling party about the contents of a meeting at which the Prime Minister addressed them. Dr. Mitchell indicated that he planned to clean up the Electoral Office and that Mr. Roberts would be removed from his posting there.

It is the Governor-General who is required by the constitution to appoint persons at the level of Supervisor of Elections and Assistant Supervisor of Elections. It is not the Prime Minister. But the message should be clear to everyone in the country: Keith Mitchell is really the Head of State and not the Governor-General, Sir Daniel Williams as established by the constitution.

It is time to call a spade a spade. Sir Daniel is a figure head and history would record him to be a mere puppet of Keith Mitchell. There are those who would take issue with this newspaper by claiming that it is attacking the Office of the Governor-General knowing that the holder cannot respond.

Indeed, these are not normal times in Grenada and if the Governor-General is seen as aiding and abetting the Prime Minister and the NNP in immoral acts then someone has to speak out against it in the public interest.

GRENADA TODAY is warning the people of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique to be on guard since the recent developments at the Electoral Office is part of a wider plan and scheme by the NNP to try and manipulate the electoral process to remain in power by any means possible.

A clear warning should be sent out to those working at the Electoral Office about their role in ensuring that Grenada has a free and fair election next time around.

Anyone who helps the NNP to cheat and engage in mischief to remain in office illegally would have a high price to pay on judgement day. The report from the Organisation of American States (OAS) on the conduct of the 2003 general elections confirmed that there was voter-padding in the holding of the poll.

There is every reason for some within the ruling party to engage in Burnham-like tactics in Guyana and to introduce the Jamaican-style voter rigging in order to stay in power.

It is in the interest of some people to do whatever it takes to postpone their faith with destiny for engaging in criminal activities in public office.

Our people can take comfort from the old saying: Ninety-nine days for the watchman, one day for the thief and moon can run all night but daylight will catch-up with it.