Caribupdate Weekly
St George’s, August 4, 2013 – THE BATTLE APPEARS to have begun in earnest for the leadership of the National Democratic Congress as the party seeks to look pass the defeated leadership of Tillman Thomas.
There have been increasing signs in the last seven days of surrogates, working on behalf of Nazim Burke and Franka Bernadine, becoming more openly vocal about their support for the two leadership hopefuls.
Who next will lead NDC is to be decided at the party’s annual convention, a date for which has not been set at this stage – but likely to be in late September or early October.
With supporters of Burke in control of the party’s key organs, including the office of general secretary and the Women’s Arm, there are growing expressions of confidence that Burke will have the delegate support to be elected as the next NDC boss.
Supporters of Burke, the current deputy leader, believe that he can muster enough delegates to win, even if Thomas seeks to retain the leadership position.
One Burke backer told Caribupdate Weekly that they are still hoping that Thomas, who in recent weeks has given mixed signals about his political future, will in the end, not contest, leaving the way for a “coronation” of Burke, rather than a “contest.”
There are no signs that Thomas has a team organising to prepare for a likely run.
But there appears to be a move to draft party chairman, Franka Bernadine, to also run for leadership of the NDC.
A “Franka Bernadine for Prime Minister in 2018’’ facebook page has been launched, and it appears that Ali Dowden is one of the persons behind it.
“Please note that someone from the Youth Arm showed me this page and I decided to invite persons from my contact list to like this page. I am a big fan of Sister Bernadine and I will support the cause,’’ Dowden wrote on the page this week.
Dowden, the NDC candidate for St George North West constituency, was defeated by Prime Minister Keith Mitchell.
Speaking to Caribupdate Weekly, Bernadine said she had nothing to do with the development of the page, admitting that she was made aware of the page at a meeting on July 30th.
She added that she had not visited the page up to the time she spoke with Caribupdate Weekly and as such it would be “inappropriate to comment on the creation of the page”.
Bernadine didn’t answer conclusively when asked whether she was considering becoming Prime Minister of Grenada in the future.
Instead, she said sitting in the office of Prime Minister “should not be considered with frivolity at all.”
“It is not about feathering one’s nest; it is not something one should consider lightly,” she argued.
The former education minister said being a prime minister is an office that carries great responsibility. Anyone aspiring for that position should spend considerable time contemplating what it is they want to do, said Bernadine, who now sits as a lawmaker in the Upper House of Parliament.
When pressed on whether she will spend some time considering what appears to be this new offer, she responded that “one always looks for ways in which one can make a contribution.”
She said, however, that she was deeply honoured by the fact that someone would create such a page.
The page was created on July 24, 2013, and up to press time only a few dozen people had “liked’’ the page.
The move to promote Bernadine online comes at a time of signs that the Kem Jones radio talk show has been increasingly used to promote, almost exclusively, Nazim Burke among NDC leadership hopefuls.
Jones, a party activist, has been singing the praises of Burke’s leadership of late. Earlier this week, one of his guests on the show was Jenny Rapier, head of the NDC’s Women’s Arm.
“So right now today, I am pledging my support as leader of the Women’s Arm for Nazim Burke going forward for the leadership of the party. I have no qualms about it,’’ Rapier declared.
“I think the entire party understands that (Burke is next in line),’’ Jones commented, even while quickly adding: “Nobody is pushing Burke down anybody’s throat.’’
One of the debutante candidates from this year’s election has reportedly called a few people, including some associated with the so-called expelled rebels, about coming together to support Burke’s candidacy.
But there is a segment of the party said to be wary about a potential Burke takeover, including a significant segment of the youth arm, and the NDC’s so-called “old guard.’’
“Burke is as bad as all these other revolutionary boys for the party,’’ one regarded ‘foundation member’ commented this week.
