Local News

Newly created PMO takes aim inside and outside

St. George’s, March 23, 2012 – The Tillman Thomas-led administration, which will soon be seeking a second government term, has taken a step that some believe is an attempt to try and boost its chances of winning the next national polls that are due by 2013.

According to a CARIBUPDATE NEWS report, ministers will no longer have individual public relations officers assigned to them.

“Information Minister Glen Noel and newly appointed Chief of Staff William Joseph on Thursday met with all government public relations officers to announce that they will now report to a central authority,’’ CARIBUPDATE NEWS said in an online report.

The “central authority’’ is part of the recently created Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

Finance Minister Nazim Burke, in a reference to the PMO in his March 9 budget presentation in parliament, said the aim of setting up the office is to “consolidate in one place all persons who hold what may be called political contracts. These include advisors, personal assistants and drivers. Hitherto, these persons were provided for under various ministries.’’

In the case of PROs, who are also placed under the PMO, “observers say that it is a significant shift by the Prime Minister for control of the public relations machinery, amidst reports that he does not have the support of the majority of his cabinet, and that he is looking at a full scale overhaul of candidates for next year,’’ said CARIBUPDATE NEWS.

Official and unofficial polling of Grenadians shows that a majority is dissatisfied with the government’s performance, especially in the area of job creation.

However, Prime Minister Thomas has argued that his government has done relatively well and has fulfilled more than 80 percent of the promises made in his party’s 2008 election manifesto.

The Prime Minister has often blamed poor public relations as the reason why popular support for his government is not higher.

It also rumoured that PMO staff, including Press Secretary Richard Simon, have begun taking a more aggressive approach to clamp down on broadcasting and reporting that are considered unflattering to the Prime Minister and his government.

Sources say the editor at one of Grenada’s weekly newspaper was recently contacted and a demand made for the publishing of an apology for a news item that was printed on the paper’s front page.

Grenada’s has four independent weekly newspapers. They are Grenada Informer, The Grenadian Voice, The New Today and The Grenada Advocate.

There is also an independent monthly business newspaper, Grenada Barnacle.

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