St. George’s, March 25, 2012 – The National Democratic Congress has begun registration of voters for the upcoming national polls, but the NDC’s General Secretary says much more must be done to make the party battle-ready for the elections that are due by 2013.

Peter David told a meeting of the NDC in Carriacou on Sunday that it’s an “extremely critical time’’ for the ruling party that soon “will be presenting our scorecards to the people and asking them for another term in office.’’

He said the requirements for a repeat election victory include broadening the party’s membership base, and increasing voter registration.

He disclosed that several constituencies of the party have received canvass training and have started voter registration.

“While we acknowledge that there is a lot more to be done, we have made progress in that regard,’’ David said at the 2012 NDC General Council at the Hillsborough Primary School.

“This party can have all the support. It can have the best policies. But if our people are not registered then we will not win. It’s as simple as that.’’

The General Secretary also stressed the need to expand membership in the party, particularly drawing from among women and youth.

“Our party – the National Democratic Congress – simply must attract new blood if we are to survive over the long haul. We encourage all constituencies to embark on a diligent membership drive,’’ said David, who is also MP for the Town of St. George and Minister of Tourism.

He appealed to the party to give greater attention to the needs of its “foot soldiers,’’ who shortly will be going into villages, knocking on doors and asking for the support of Grenadian nationals in the NDC’s reelection bid.

“We must remember the soldiers in the field and their families have needs too,’’ David said.

“Our foot soldiers,’’ he added, “must also be well prepared – materially and otherwise – for the battle. It is not asking too much to heed the calls by many party members who are willing and able to soldier for us, but who feel sidelined and ignored and uncared for.’’

As well, said David, the NDC “must also seek to improve our public relations apparatus and assemble – as a matter of urgency – a competent PR team. In the lead up to the last general election, we had an excellent PR operation. We need to revisit the method and the means of the operation.’’

General Secretary David also reiterated his often-made appeal for party unity by quoting from his 2011 General Council report in which he said, “The greater good and the deeper unity must continue, for these are what made this party successful and victorious in the first place. And it is what will ensure that we maintain the confidence of the people in the fight against unemployment, poverty and for opportunity for all our people.’’

In his opening remarks to Sunday’s meeting, David proposed a minute of silence for the late Prime Minister George Brizan, who was the founding leader of the NDC.

Brizan, David said, was a “beloved member and founder of the NDC,’’ and also “was made of the best Grenada had to offer the world.’’

Here’s the text of General Secretary David’s report to the March 25 General Council of the National Democratic Congress.

Let me begin by thanking the Brothers and Sisters in Carriacou and Petite Martinique for the excellent arrangements for this General Council.

It is always a pleasure to be here as Carriacou has historically played an exceptionally important role in the development of our NDC party. I want, at this juncture, to salute all the comrades of our beautiful sister islands, Carriacou and Petite Martinique.

I want to also thank all those who made the sacrifice and made the journey from the mainland. At this difficult economic time many comrades could not easily afford to pay for the journey. But your presence here today is testimony to your commitment to the National Democratic Congress. We salute you.

As we meet here I also want to ask for your prayers for the families of two of our stalwart Sisters, Ingrid Rush and Glynis Roberts. They are facing challenges and our prayers are with them. They are unable to be here but send their wishes for a successful General Council.

As we meet today to soberly assess where we have come from since our convention last year and to chart the way forward for the next period, I want to recognize our dearly departed comrade, George Brizan, who was buried two weeks ago.

George was not only a beloved member and founder of the NDC, and a former Prime Minister of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique; he also was made of the best Grenada had to offer the world. Let’s stand for a minute of silence in his honour.

Brothers and Sisters, we meet at an extremely critical time for this party and for Grenada.  In four months we would hit the four-year mark in our Government’s life.

In one year and four months the life span of our Parliament, and the mandate given to the NDC in July 2008, would come to an end and we will be facing the polls.

In one year and four months, comrades, we will be presenting our scorecards to the people and asking them for another term in office.

This means, Brothers and Sisters, that WE must be ready to face the people who gave us the job and the mandate to run the country on their behalf, and entrusted to us the awesome responsibility of making their lives better.

And I repeat – WE must be ready! I say WE because it is the National Democratic Congress that will be facing the people. It is you – the members of this party – who will be called upon to go into the villages, knock on the doors, and ask for the support of the people of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique.

It is NDC party workers – including men, women and youth from across the nation, and from coast to coast – who will be called upon to make the necessary sacrifices to ensure a second term for this Government.

The National Democratic Congress is the vehicle through which we will deliver the message, fight the cause, and win the battle for the minds of the Grenadian people, and to convince them that voting NDC to form the government remains the best choice for the nation.

It is therefore incumbent on us to ensure that this vehicle is well-equipped, properly oiled and fully prepared for the battle that is ahead.

I believe that we need to have more discussions in this General Council rather than speeches from the podium. I will, therefore, be as brief as possible and allow for more discussion and interaction in finding and charting a way forward, and on NDC’s battle-readiness for the next general election.

I will, therefore, report on the areas of my mandate, make some assessments, and point to some possible steps for the way forward.

I want to begin by congratulating the National Executive for its performance over the last eight months with regular meetings and commendable attendance record in that period. As the organ of the party responsible for its operations between conventions I believe the National Executive has functioned well.

Several Committees of the Executive have been set up within the last eight months, including the Strategy Committee and the Campaign Committee. These two committees are extremely important in this period. Both will assist in charting the way forward for the party as we head towards elections 2013.

We look forward to the setting up of other committees that are critical for the proper functioning of the party.

Not so well functioning is the Management Committee. This committee has not met as scheduled over the last eight months and has seen a noticeable decline in its effect. At our last executive meeting this matter was raised and we expect to see improvement in that respect.

The Management Committee is an extremely important committee in an effectively functioning NDC party. Its failure to function as it ought to will, undoubtedly, impact on the party.

One of the most salient areas to which attention must always be given is the voter registration and list canvass. I must commend the executive for paying some attention to this. It may be the one factor that will determine if we win or lose at the polls.

This party can have all the support. It can have the best policies. But if our people are not registered then we will not win. It’s as simple as that!

I, therefore, want to commend the committee that has begun work on voter registration. While we acknowledge that there is a lot more to be done, we have made progress in that regard. So far nine constituencies have received canvass training and follow up work is being undertaken. We are yet to get a full report on how many persons have been registered; but we expect that following this General Council more attention will be paid to this area.

A constant call over the last year has been for constituencies to engage in membership drives. We need to expand the party base, particularly with respect to women and youth. I must commend those constituencies that have done much in this respect, particularly St. Mark, St. Andrew South West and St. Andrew North West. Although these drives have been done in a particular context, it is a welcome development for this party.

Our party – the National Democratic Congress – simply must attract new blood if we are to survive over the long haul. We encourage all constituencies to embark on a diligent membership drive.

In the last few months, there has been a lot of talk and speculation – even controversy – about the selection of candidates for the next general election.

The NDC’s Constitution is clear on the methodology that is used, and has been used, since the founding of the party a quarter-century ago, in selecting candidates for general elections. Hence, I need not spend much time on this. Suffice it to say that we welcome the fact that all constituencies are discussing this matter. The Executive, I am told, will soon be putting its own mechanism in place for this process as we prepare to contest the next general election.

The Secretariat applauds all those constituencies that have been meeting over the last eight months and have had several activities to keep the party alive.

We, at the Secretariat, have visited eight constituencies and continue to work with them to strengthen their structure.

Monthly meetings of the Chairs’ Committee have been consistent, and have been a wonderful barometer for measuring the feeling of people on the ground and for keeping our finger on the pulse. We welcome newly elected Chair from St. Mark, O.J., and newly elected Executives.

With regard to the operations of the Constituency Branches we welcome the increased work in some areas. But we urge one thing.

We appeal to all members of the party to respect the Constitution of the NDC by working through the elected Constituency Branches. Any other approach will lead to factionalism and is a violation of both the spirit and letter of the party’s Constitution.

Since our last Convention in July, much has been said about Government/Party relations. There have been repeated calls for more party involvement in policy decisions by the Government. This led to the convening of a Government/Party Conference at the National Stadium last year November.

At the conference, several issues were raised in frank and open discussions.

Among the matters discussed were Government’s foreign policy stance; employment of party members; and Government’s sensitivity to people’s concerns. As I said the issues were discussed frankly. We expect more such discussions going forward.

On the social side, several constituencies have had activities over the last year and for this they must be commended. In this regard, I want to particularly recognize the St. George’s South Constituency and the S. Andrew’s South East Constituency.

At the national level, special recognition must be given to the St. Patrick’s East and West Constituencies for hosting the annual end-of-year social at Bathway.

With respect to women, it is regrettable that work has declined in that sector. Without the active mobilization of women, NDC will not be a party representative of the people of Grenada nor will it be successful at the elections.

All polls indicate that the NDC needs to do more with respect to the youth of Grenada. While the Government has done much work with and for the young men and women of our nation, this has not translated into support for the NDC. The Youth Arm of the party needs to step up its work if there is to be any hope for the NDC.

As we look ahead to the next few months and the next general election, admittedly we are confronting a few challenges. Paramount among them is the question of resources.

At the last executive as we discussed the difficulty of financing this trip to Carriacou, the reality of our resource challenge came home to us quite vividly. On this issue, I need not say more than this:  In today’s world, ELECTIONS ARE VERY, VERY EXPENSIVE!

Another challenge is ensuring that the soldiers of the party are in good shape. While it is okay that the Generals are well fed, the Lieutenants are clothed, and the Colonels have jobs and a monthly income, we must remember the soldiers in the field and their families have needs too.

Our foot soldiers must also be well prepared – materially and otherwise – for the battle. It is not asking too much to heed the calls by many party members who are willing and able to soldier for us, but who feel sidelined and ignored and uncared for.

We must also seek to improve our public relations apparatus and assemble – as a matter of urgency – a competent PR team.

In the lead up to the last general election, we had an excellent PR operation. We need to revisit the method and the means of the operation to help with messaging, mobilizing and improving our public image.

As we enter the final phase of our first term in office, our party must focus on the mission ahead.

All must visit the towns and villages and register people to vote, and maintain regular contact with the people.

If we do these things, I am sure the people will consider giving us a second term. If we don’t, we will suffer the same fate as NDC 1995.

At every Convention and General Council I have reiterated the call for party unity. I did so in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

I end my report at this General Council with yet another call and by quoting from what I said at last year’s General Council in respect of party unity:

“We must use all of our positions as a force for both good and unity; understanding there is no good that can come unless there is unity.

And unity does not mean unanimity of ideas, but built on the healthy respect of our differing views and the understanding of the need to go forward with a united sense of purpose.

The greater good and the deeper unity must continue, for these are what made this party successful and victorious in the first place. And it is what will ensure that we maintain the confidence of the people in the fight against unemployment, poverty and for opportunity for all our people.

The strength of the NDC has always been a party that respects a myriad of views and opinions; that encourages debate and that eventually finds common ground and moves forward in love and comradeship.’’

I thank you, ladies and gentlemen, Brothers and Sisters, comrades all.