No one has brought so much “pain, shame, suffering and financial loss to the people of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique” than Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell and his deputy Gregory Bowen, charged former opposition leader Michael Baptiste.
He told a political meeting in Laborie Tuesday night that the July 8 general election is about “restoring” the country’s image.
Baptiste, a former parliamentarian who once headed the Grenada United Labour Party (GULP), was speaking at a meeting of Karl Hood, the NDC candidate for St. George South East. The incumbent for the constituency is Bowen.
It was Baptiste’s first appearance on a political platform since announcing that he was backing the National Democratic Congress in
next month’s poll. He has urged all GULP members to vote for the NDC.
An ex-cabinet minister in Dr. Mitchell’s New National Party government, Baptiste made it clear he is still a “Gairyite.” But he said
he had given Hood a commitment to “chase Gregory Bowen around the constituency and make sure that the people of the constituency know exactly who Brother Gregory Bowen is. I am here not to praise Gregory Bowen but to expose him.”
Baptiste revealed a laundry list of misdeeds and mismanagement by Bowen, Prime Minister Mitchell and the NNP administration, arguing for them to be booted out of office on July 8.
His list included at least six fraudsters, who have been imprisoned, and who were friends of one or both of the two leading NNP government officials.
In fact, Baptiste played a videotape recording of a witness statement given by Timothy Bass, who testified that Dr. Mitchell had received money in a briefcase from Eric Resteiner in Switzerland. Bass was Resteiner’s bodyguard.
Baptiste, calling himself “the voice of truth,” referred to NNP financial fiascos such as a government loan to a private family-owned
company to set up the call centre; and the promise that the first national stadium would not cost Grenadians “one black penny.” The
stadium, which was destroyed by Hurricane Ivan in 2004, ended up costing the nation $150 million.
The former GULP leader also noted the legal troubles facing Dr. Mitchell and Bowen in the United Kingdom and the United States.
Baptiste said that in a U.K. case involving Bowen, if the NNP official loses, it could cost Grenada US$500 million in payment.
“Gregory Bowen has helped himself and his family on the backs of you the people of South East St. George’s,” Baptiste said.
“If you vote for a man and every time you turn around, you hear his name in bubol and corruption, forgive him but fire him. Come July 8, we must fire Gregory Bowen.”
Baptiste accused Dr. Mitchell of betraying GULP supporters who had backed him in 1995 by taking away land that had been given to them by the late former Prime Minister Sir Eric Gairy.
He also charged the Prime Minister with disappearing and taking shelter for 10 days after the passage of Hurricane Ivan, and of
dividing rather than uniting the nation.
Baptiste said: “I heard school children going around (after Ivan) and beating pan in Grenville, where there was looting of stores, and
singing: ‘Where is the leader, leader, leader; find the leader, leader, leader.’ Grenadians got together, banded together as one big
family when the leader was missing for 10 days.”
According to Baptiste, “chaos came when the leader re-appeared from the boat where he was hiding.”
He said Dr. Mitchell and the NNP “started dividing us again after Ivan. You remember the NNP truck going around with lists of names of
people who had to get water and who had to get food.”
Baptiste described NDC leader Tillman Thomas as “sincere” and as having a “good heart,” saying he is “at the disposal” of the
National Democratic Congress” in helping to rid Grenada of the NNP and the “beloved” and “Let the Progress Continue Prime Minister,”
Dr. Mitchell.
“The NNP has to go,” Baptiste stressed. “They have brought shame and disgrace. They have destroyed the good name and credibility of the people of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique.”
Tuesday’s meeting was one of two in St. George’s, in which the candidates complained about harassment from people dressed in the
green colours of the NNP.
Posters of Hood were torn down and destroyed in St. George South East.
In St. George North West, where NDC’ Ingrid Jackson is battling Prime Minister Mitchell, her posters were also torn down and some burnt. Jackson said the vandals left the scene of her meeting in Happy Hill after police intervened.
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I think that change is a good thlng,most black people can’t handle power or fame.It was simple time for that little black man & his”what do you people call them,ministers? to go away”.It was time to delete them.He was abig Dictator on the rise on that beautiful little Island.
if you get something and someone else dont get speak up for them then you have something to say
vicy dont say nothing becasue you dont have nothing to say perhaps you religious and you go by if you cant say good dont say bad I dont hink you wicked or could it be is it fair? i only back people who likes fairness for all not just those who two faced well I got something i dont care about no one else thats selfish
There is no doubt that this kind of scandalous and “ghetto” behavior is present on both sides of this political landscape.
Think of Claris Modest and claris Charles rather callus remarks (together with others) about the seniority of Mr Lett. (REMEMBER THE BENGAY REMARKS)
NO RESPECT FOR THE MORE MATURE. BUT WAIT YOU WILL SOON SEE ALL OF THEM WALKING AROUND WITH THE MARKS OF OLD AGE.
I listened last weekend to the PM in Sauteurs saying that the only thing Ingrid jackson is good for is to put on lipstick. WOW mr PM. Remember the abuse of a certain female political peer? You just continue to show the disrespect you have for women. Grenadian women be careful. your mother should chastise you for such imper tent behavior. But then again she thinks you are a god.
Please lets show respect for our women, children and our elder.
Its time, NNP have to go, we are tired of them, we are raided with a set of foreigners brought to Grenada by the NNP and they want to be the ones to direct the running’s of our country. we want back our Grenada, Check out this list of NNP party hawks that are messing up our country:
Berth Brafit, a Barbadian (this one wants to keep the post of director of hospital services so he is joining the nnp on the campaign trail to come and try to counteract miss Ann Peters about the truth she spoke about Grenada’s FAILED health sector.)
Hugh Wild Man, A Jamaican (Well this one is a total joker, i dont know why the hell he don’t return to his homeland of crime, he has cause this government to pay over $1.5 million in court cases which he lost, and the amounts that are still pending.
Kerk Setahall, a Trinidadian, ( this one is a total chi chi man who is going around campaining in the Government of Grenada, ministry of education vehicles and also using other ministry resources to influence people to vote for NNP, He can be seen all over st. Davids with government’s property.
We all know that the above mention stooges are only working hard to hold on to positions given by them by the NNP and in reality don’t even care about our country cause in case anything happen they can simply run back to their respective homeland.
Last but not least i want to talk about this one they call Sherma Wells, She is so Green. Just look at this hypocryte’s face on her so called programme he hosts in the morning called Good morning Grenada, Everything green. I cant wait for the change in government to take place so that we can change back the name of GIS- Green Information Service to Government Information Service, Why don’t someone tell her to go pay the various people around town that she is owing house rent. She is so bad pay you people got no idea.
Thank You.
What are you going to achieve by showing this video and chasing Minister Bowen? May the best team win….NNP all the way! cannot stop the progress….
THE NDC POLITICIANS ARE BEHAVING LIKE KIDS.SCANDULOUS PEOPLE, I THINK THEY CAN REACTM BETTER. VERY VINDICTIVE PEOPLE. PRIME MINISTER MICHELL, DO NOT STOOP TO THE NDC’S LEVEL, RISE TO THE OCCASION. HOPE THE GRENADIAN PEOPLE OPEN THEIR EYES AND DON’T LET THE NDC BRIBE THEM.
I AM NOT LIVING IN GRENADA, BUT LISTEN TO TALK SHOW ON A DIALY BASIS, IT’S VERY DISGUSTING TO HEAR THE NDC’S BEHAVIOUR. KEEP THE GOOD WORK UP PM MITCHELL!