The newly elected leader of Grenada’s main opposition New Democratic Congress (NDC) attorney, Dickon Mitchell, is sending a “clear and resounding message” that the party which was severely trounced in the last two general elections “is once more on the path of inspiring hope and belief in our people and our nation.
Mitchell, who is making his entry into electoral politics, was elected on Sunday during the party’s convention following former prime minister Tillman Thomas and former senior government minister Nazim Burke.
Thomas led the party to victory in the 2008 general election, but in 2013 the party failed to win a seat in the 15-member Parliament, a position it also repeated during the 2018 general election under Burke’s leadership.
Sunday’s NDC convention was held virtually, as the country continues with its measures aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has 198 people ad infected others since March last year.
“You have chosen unity over disunity, you have chosen resilience, flexibility, inclusiveness, and strength over infighting, weakness, vacillation, or wish washiness. You have chosen boldness and courage over timidity and the same ole, same ole. You have chosen positive change and transformation over stagnation and failure,” Mitchell told the delegates attending the convention.
Mitchell polled 277 votes against 43 for Phillip Telesford and seven votes for Terrence Forrester.
The new leader said that the NDC, which celebrated 34 years in October, will continue to seek to change the culture of politics on the island.
“We are required to change the culture of our politics, we are to encourage our citizens to get involved in politics because politics means nation-building and it is our collective job to build our nation,” he said.
Mitchell described his election to the top post as the first step in transforming the politics of Grenada, adding that it is his belief that it is the first time in modern history of the island that so many people had the opportunity to understand the importance of democracy.
“This convention has opened the eyes of every Grenadian to the importance to our democracy, to the importance of the political process and so I expect as part of that transformation we will continue to educate our population,” he said.
CMC
 attorney, Dickon Mitchell, says it is on a new path.){kind=link}