By Max Sterling
All readers of this regularly biting column are aware of my passion for extolling the virtues of high standard, quality and professionalism which were all allowed to go to the dogs on account of the carelessness of the many who sit by and watched any "ole" t'ing to become the norm among us.
This dropping of the ball by our people is not by accident since greed for material acquisitions was allowed to take root among our people who under the last administration grew to know the price of everything and the value of nothing.
Because our God is a God of second chances, we've been given yet another chance but there are so many who are yet to reconcile with that truth.
For 13 years we've been punished and pillaged by a gang of scoundrels who passed themselves off as wanting to work in our interest and who instead feathered their own nests.
This kind of corruption permeated the entire society to the point where investigative journalist and editor of this newspaper (Grenada Today) George Worme has broken one of many stories about our Royal Grenada Police Force under the tenure of Mitchell's Kleptocracy.
The names called in this report published in last weekend's issue's expose on the insider-trading within the Force are alarming and require some form of response from those concerned either by way of attempting to explain and clear their names, or by way of apology to the many who are disappointed and shocked!
We already know that the new Commissioner of Police has been empowered to do what needs to be done to sanitise the Force, and I am sure "Clarkie" as he is more familiarly known, will do what has to be done to steer the Police Force back on course whether with or without all the NNP Police Officers in high rank or even those whose names have been called in bilking the State of already scarce resources.
Enough said on that because I am sure the decent principled centered Prime Minister, Tillman Thomas will not interfere in due process in as much as he will facilitate due process.
That said though, many of you avid readers of this weekly column will be disappointed with me if I did not address the burning concern which many of you hold regarding the future of the party National Democratic Congress (NDC).
I believe this ought to get the attention of the right people since to many the NDC as a party has gone dormant and has neglected to take advantage of the period immediately following the July 08 poll to build the party and convert the many who voted against Mitchell into genuine support for the party in years to come.
It is a fact that the new administration is lacking badly in public relations to relate their many achievements in the short period that they have been in office notwithstanding the several challenges they've met and subsequently encountered.
Their ideas and focus are diametrically different from the scandalous Mitchell administration which experience has taught us all were more inclined toward building individual wealth at the expense of the unsuspecting tax payers.
To make a long story short the National Democratic Congress needs to develop a Public Relations strategy which will parallel that of a beefed up PR programme in government.
I have every confidence that they can do it while keeping the two separate so as to move away from the NNP culture of having party affairs dominate Government's to the point where after a while there was little or no difference between party and government.
We know the NDC campaigned against that and therefore do not expect them to walk that route.
The excitement which permeated the atmosphere prior to the July 08 polls about the NDC as a party must not be allowed to go to waste. It must be nurtured and allowed to grow to higher heights.
Trust me I am still excited and that excitement will not be easily eroded simply because the main thing which was achieved by the results of the election is that Mitchell no longer wields power!
If the NDC plays their cards right the NNP as a party and Mitchell, in particular - will be no more!
It would appear that with the high ranking party operatives all in government now as either full Ministers, Ministers of State or advisors it would appear that the party has been abandoned! I hope not for the party's sake.
This week's article ought to be taken as a warning from a friend who has given his all to the country in many forms to ensure that Mitchell is history you cannot afford for the NDC as a party to go dormant at this stage for fear that the next time around it ends up a one term administration.
The party needs to caucus/retreat and put things in place quickly for its next General Council or Convention.
At this convention, a new approach needs to be taken to right position the right people in key executive positions.
Certain hard decisions have to be taken and certain senior party members on the Executive have got to be given a straight talking to with a view to having them stand down especially if they cannot point to any achievements worthy of note since they've been in office.
The party's propaganda arm ought to be working to make loud noises about its achievements thus far.
Honesty, accountability, responsibility, transparency, and good governance, are great words to live by and the NDC has shown thus far that they are ingrained in the blood stream of its members who are now in government. What an awesome achievement thus far!
The time is ripe to speak to the nation telling them this is their time to do the right things; the time to educate their children, the time to build a better nation; the time to allow respect to become integral to the way they correspond with each other; the time to co-operate, the time to make sacrifices to build their nation; and the time to build back institutions!
If the NDC as a party wants to share in this time which is "our time" while helping to shape the way for all these achievements in the aftermath of dethroning Jonah they've got to get up and get the party machinery rolling!
Remember the chief t'ief is not sitting still but waiting to slip through the cracks again!
He is starting to roam all over the island, trying to engage the little man once again in an effort to use him as part of his power-hungry mentality.
If the NDC puts the necessary machinery in place, this despicable character will be no more in the next 12 months.
