by Linda Straker
- Dr Mitchell has served in the Parliament for almost 4 decades
- Will contest 2023 General Election
- New caretakers required for St George’s North East and St Patrick West constituencies
The ruling New National Party (NNP) will not be having a new political leader in the short term as expected. Dr Keith Mitchell has confirmed that he will not exit public life before the 2023 General Election and will be a candidate.
During the campaign for the 2018 General Election, Dr Mitchell indicated that he would not contest another general election. In an interview on Thursday, 7 January 2021 approximately 2 years before the election is constitutionally due, Dr Mitchell said that he has had to change his plans about handing over leadership.
“A decision has been made I would have preferred not to have, but there are rationales based on my own colleagues’ views and general perceptions that the right time will have to be after the next election to hand over the reigns to someone. So, it looks likely, highly likely, that I will certainly run unless I have some health issues or physical problem.” Dr Mitchell has served in the Parliament for almost 4 decades. He was born in 1946 and will celebrate his 75th birthday on 12 November 2021.
The party — currently identifying caretakers who may eventually become candidates in at least 2 seats for the upcoming general election — returned to office in 2013 with voters giving majority support to the NNP candidates. All 15 constituency seats were won by the NNP candidates. As a result, there was no official opposition in Lower House of Parliament until Tobias Clement, who represents the constituency of St George’s North East, crossed the floor and became the Leader of the Opposition.
That constituency is one for which the NNP must appoint a new caretaker. The other constituency is St Patrick West, because Anthony Boatswain who currently represents that constituency has also indicated that he will not contest another election. He opted not to accept a ministerial portfolio following the 2018 General Election, and is the current Deputy Speaker in the House.
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Shame on the Government of Grenada for giving the the poor the right to illegally claim lands and destroy them by building poor infrastructure. Shame on you! And it isn’t getting any better or worse. You can clearly see that the Government has allowed the poor to completely Grand Anse with an eye soaring look due to poor development.
Thanks to Kieth Mitchell and so called poor people who don’t pay taxes, don’t work and are all lazy and depend on the Government for free road, free education, free food and free transportation. I can’t believe the government has allowed that to happen. No wonder why the country has such poor planning. We are so disgusted by the NNP for supporting poverty than ending it.
If this government continues to allow the poor to take advantage of the country and system this grenada will be run down to the ground! Shame on you! Take away the right of people to stop them from sqwuatting.
From the way you write it is easy to tell English is not your first language. GO BACK HOME! Once we Grenadians hold our leaders accountable we will be like Qatar or Kuwait. No foreigner should employ a Grenadian who descended from exploitation in our land. Grenadians are better than being gardeners and service industry employees. Sadly we are also descended from West Africans, and along with that, our leaders also inherited their strong legacy of corruption. It is in their blood.
i want to know how grenada would become rich if we stop depending on foreigners and stop being lazy
It’s not a matter of financial wealth. Grenada would be become rich when the government focuses more on secondary and tertiary education and enact laws that prevent foreigners from buying land. Anyone who wants to invest in Grenada should be able to but, ownership of our land should be retained by the government for future generations. Foreigners should understand they are only visiting and are not entitled to a permanent presence.
fully agreed and yes we should have the right to acquire lands first before foreigners.
The simple truth is that Grenadians are lazy. They, and I say that as a born Grenadian, prefer to receive handouts from the Chinese and hear nonsense from a man who is neither right, honourable, not a doctor. The Chinese, better said, are the world’s largest and most racist ethnic group. Do not be fooled by an elected official who claims he doesn’t see anyone ready to replace him. What a joke of a man who is a master manipulator. We will petition the British and Caricom to prevent a dictatorship from taking hold. Let the people choose their next ruler.
i want china in the caribbean. america do nothing for us. dont give us no visa free access, dont give us no education benefits, dont give u no infrastructure. i can go to china any time i want with my grenada passport and the chinese give us house, road, hospital, stadium, projects and now helping rebuild our airport. america shame on you and your government! you have failed your relationship with us in the caribbean. you have done nothing for us than to just take our money from us and brainwash us with propaganda. kieth mitchell is the right guy for the chinese and i am sure he will allow them a free pass to grenada. we want china here now!
with our kieth mitchell china will have our grenada up and running which will be great and i like that! china is welcomed here and im sure kieth mitchell will love that! chinese wll make us the better peoples for the future.
You are one brainwashed person I tell you. China wants to take over Grenada (Chinada) you fool! Welcoming china to Grenada like welcome fox into your chicken house. Keith is in bed with china and they are no doubt paying him well for access to the island. The man is a dictator in disguise (for now) once he gains more power from his chinese friends he will remain in power and squash all those who oppose him.
Stop asking for handouts, free money, like a pot dog waiting for food. Stand up and be self reliant, take pride in your work and if you do not have a job find one. The Lord loves a working man, we all know this to be true.
so im guessing you dont want roads drive on. you dont want employment opportunities for your people. you dont want stdiums for entertainment. you dont want housing projects so that people can get a better standard of living. keep waiting on america and you will not get a thing any longer. you dont get it. you are telling me get a job when you dont want hotels that provide thousands of them. you are empty minded.
It makes me a little sad that when a man reaches 77 his party won’t let him go and he feels responsible to continue on. We are all sure he has done reasonably well for himself and the nation and no one seems to begrudge him so let it be. I do worry about the Chinese interest in Grenada. I’m quite sure it has little more to do than with our UN votes. Still, probably not a good idea to be too beholden. Still, is there no leader ready to take up issues like education and health care? Both are in sore need of improvement. A first world health care facility in partnership with SGU, not for tourism but for the people, would do great things for building our retirement community and the returning nationals. As for education, a curriculum that goes beyond sports and agriculture wouldn’t break hearts. It’s a very competitive world and a shame to see our people training to become gardeners and chambermaids to fancy hotels, aren’t we better, can’t we aim higher?
Robert Mugabe didnt see anyone fit to succeed or replace him either.
This dude is going to stay/cling in power until he figures out how to secure a chunk of our oil resources and future petroleum industry for himself.
My fellow Grenadains nothing last forever…I just know that he cannot take the government or the country to his grave..
My fellow Grenadains like Donald Trump he always wins and will win next time..with not one seat going to the opposition party.
“Dr Mitchell said that he has had to change his plans about handing over leadership.”
That sounds just like President Trump! Look here Keith, you have been in government for 40 years… we have had enough of you I tell you. Someone lock his Twitter and Facebook accounts!
Dear Grenada, do not turn over your nuclear codes (or Chinese fireworks in your case) to this man I no trust him on the trigger.
That the problem with politicians, once they are in power they no want to ever leave. Control is their drug of choice, and they must have a daily fix. And then there is control of the people’s money! He is in bed with China, we all know this to be true. I just say what many are thinking and saying, and the people vote I remind you.
He not Grenada Donald Trump, He is Grenada Robert Mugabe
Exactly what I was thinking.
america did nothing for us than to happily watch us suffer in poverty while our economies struggle while the chinese come and help rebuild economies and infrastructure to get our people and countries up and running. the more you lean towards america the poorer you get. the more you lean to china the more skilled and educated you become.
Really when you think about it, there is no strong leader as Dr Mitchell. He has been running the country for more than 3 decades and at one time winning 15 seats and I think he is still good to run the country as prime minister. I think the NNP is a good party to govern Grenada given the fact that they have built most of the Infrastructure in the country. NDC had almost run the Country down to the ground during a 5 year period. I think that Kieth mitchell still needs to run the party and Govern the country still.
Speaking about infrastructure, I beg to differ because I have not seen any of such on Grenada, unless you’re referring to the CBI programs influx of hotel/resort developments and I can tell you factually, that infrastructural development far exceeds these.
True.
Primarily the reason the NDC party seemed to do nothing was because they had such strong opposition. If nothing is being passed by the party because the opposition is so strong then how can the NDC be blamed?
That is my 2 cents.
I agree with him as this might be his best time to be taking part with very few things to discuss.
There is no strong opposition and with the Grenlec issues being old news based on the fact it was not his party who sold it.
All look like an easy election to take part in at this time.
How can you blame the opposition, NNP only had four seats, NDC was the majority in Government. They failed to perform.