Local News

Grenada PM weighs options, as administration totters on the brink

by Nigel Williams

Special for CARIBUPDATE NEWS

ST GEORGE’S, GRENADA: Grenada ruling party officials have spent a weekend weighing their options following the filing of a vote of no confidence in the administration’s economic policies by a government backbencher.

The administration of Tillman Thomas is at the beginning of a new week tottering on the edge, with its only hope of immediate survival being a parliamentary maneuver that will avoid a sitting.

Sources say there appears to be a majority of MPs — possibly nine or 10 of the 15 — including members of the cabinet that will be willing to back the motion filed by Karl Hood.

Hood, a former Foreign Minister, is one of four government backbenchers — all former members of the cabinet who were either fired or resigned.

With four opposition MPs as well, observers note that there is a potential simply majority that will guarantee the success of the motion.

But on the weekend facilitators of the motion have indicated that there is a specter that two members of the current cabinet could support the motion.

It is the second time this year Thomas’ administration will face a no confidence motion.

The first motion brought by Opposition Leader Dr Keith Mitchell was only supported by one of the government backbenchers – Michael Church.

Hood at the time abstained, while Peter David and Joseph Gilbert voted to save the Thomas administration.

With the new motion now being filed by a member of the ruling party itself, there has been the prediction that it is more likely to get the support of Hood’s former cabinet colleagues.

Thomas who became the island’s Prime Minister in July 2008 with a comfortable 11-4 majority, has apparently lost the support of the majority of elected officials, and has increasingly turned to appointed Senators to help him govern.

If a majority of MPs vote in favor of the motion, it could force the collapse of Thomas’ divided government and force general elections, nine months before it is constitutionally due.

The country’s parliament is currently on recess and was widely expected to be reconvened in September.

Thomas was reportedly getting strong advice from his advisors and some appointed senators to prorogue parliament — a maneuver that could see the country being run without the law-making body and through the executive order of the Prime Minister’s office.

This could extend the life of the minority government for another six months, but will cut out its ability to raise money to boost an unfunded budget and a government with huge fiscal headaches and an increasing inability to pay its bills.

Ministry of Finance sources say there are about 100 million dollars in unpaid claims.

“The political consideration is to hold on for as long as possible, but certain economic realities are making this difficult to see if we can go on for much longer. But seriously I don’t think a decision has been taken either way,” one person who claims to be closed to the talks told CARIBUPDATE News.

On Sunday afternoon a caravan of vehicles with mainly advisors and senators were seen driving through St George’s South East, with the speculation that they were in their way to another of the crisis meetings.

The constituency branch for the area represented by Hood, blasted his decision to file the no confidence motion and called for his resignation as an MP.

The statement was drafted and issued without the approval of the branch chairman, Stanford Simon, who is also the acting Chairman of the NDC.

Simon is currently overseas, but contacted by phone early Sunday, said he was not aware of the statement until someone alerted him to an internet post.

He confirmed that he was not briefed on the statement, and it took him by surprise.

Simon who has been away for a week on private duties also said he has not been briefed first hand by any official of the party about the motion filed on Friday — but he was expected to speak to some top officials later Sunday.

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