DEMOCRACY IS ALIVE and well in the English-speaking Caribbean. This is evident from the polls held in the past week, first in Grenada and then two days later in Barbados.
The people spoke with their Xs and determined who they wanted to govern them for the next five years. It is a privilege to choose your legislators and one which should be cherished.
But as we rejoice that the will of the people prevailed this past week, at the same time there must be serious concern for what has transpired in Grenada, where one party captured all 15 seats at stake. This outcome does not make democracy any stronger.
Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell of Grenada cannot be held responsible that the electorate voted overwhelmingly for his New National Party. His party contested the election as did the others. That the outcome has been so skewed may be a personal achievement for Dr Mitchell, whose political legacy will be hard to match anywhere where there are free and fair multiparty elections. To have achieved this rare distinction in 1999 and repeat again in 2013 is indeed remarkable!
But that is perhaps where the good news for Grenada begins and ends. We all know that the stronger an opposition, the more diligent must be the government. In such circumstances, it all works to the advantage of the people. In the situation that now obtains in Grenada, while not unchartered, it is somewhat uncomfortable.
It raises a number of serious questions, the most glaring one being: Who will be the watchdog over the government in St Georges for the next five years?
From this distance, it seems as if the six senators who are not appointed by the government to the non-elected chamber will have to be true guardians of their country. They will have to take up the mantle to be the watchdogs in many respects, keeping careful scrutiny over legislation and, most importantly, leading the roles normally fulfilled by the Leader of the Opposition. They must certainly lead the important Public Accounts Committee.
We would hope that the opposition parties, having failed to gain a single seat in Grenada’s parliament, do not let this crush their spirits, but recognize that they can still be watchdogs outside of the official process.
Granted, this situation will merit the intervention of other important groups and organizations in Grenada, even as they strive not to be organized partisan political opponents to Dr Mitchell’s administration.
We see a role for the umbrella council of churches, the trade union movement, the private sector and a strong independent news media. They will need to be forthright, fair and firm in their roles as independent commentators. Democracy thrives where there is good governance, and this requires transparency and accountability.
