How far is Ralph Gonsalves away from the end of his leadership as the prime minister of our ‘Land the Blessed’?
A look at his beginning will give us a road map of his ending. We can take it from the ‘road-block revolution, in protest first against the James Mitchell 1999 ‘greedy bill’, as it was called by Gonsalves. In 1999 Mitchell decided to give all parliamentarians who did two terms in office a pension and gratuity. Gonsalves told Mitchell if he passed the bill in parliament, he (Gonsalves) would close down the country.
Mitchell was surprised when Gonsalves was able to mobilize over 60% of police, other civil servants, and a sizeable portion of the population to close down the country, by blocking the main roads in Arnos Vale and by-pass roads at Fenton using trees that had been freshly cut down; also, the main road into Kingstown from the Leeward. Vehicular traffic, including emergency vehicles, were blocked from entering Kingstown, and air traffic was also disrupted.
That is to say P.M. Mitchell who lived in the Canash/Blue Lagoon area couldn’t go to work and was scheduled for an OECS Heads of Government meeting in Grenada in March. It was announced on Radio 705 that Prime Minister Mitchell was unable to attend the OECS Heads meeting in Grenada because of the crisis in the country.
But by this time Mitchell had already built the Coast Guard base in Calliaqua, so he took the Coast Guard to Grenada to attend the meeting. There, he met with other OECS leaders and was advised to call Gonsalves on the beach for a one-on-one talk.
In returning to the hotel, Mitchell declared general election would be in held within two years. Gonsalves led his party to victory in the March 2001 general elections and was sworn in a prime minister on April 01, 2001, All Fools Day.
Was it a sell-out by Mitchell or a compromise on both sides? Had it been the Labour Party under the leadership of Cato and Arthur Williams, would it have stopped at Arnos Vale?
Addressing supporters at Heritage Square, Gonsalves said that when you are in the wicket it’s different from when you are in the pavilion. He didn’t get election in three months’ time but in a year’s time.
Since his elevation to prime minister, he had been able to implement the largest public project that was initiated already on the NDO agenda. But he failed in his own imitation – the cross-country road. He made some structural developments, but little human development. He made a lot of personal diplomatic friends and sold us to Taiwan. He has destroyed our agricultural base economy. He has betrayed his own socialist philosophy and has become the biggest capitalist.
Is he far away from an end to his leadership?
Christian Democrat