Fresh Ideas

The Spice Island, Grenada, has now gone through the rigours of a hard-fought campaign and the throes of Polling Day … and the Opposition National Democratic Party (NDP) has emerged victorious.
Although he conceded defeat with grace, outgoing Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell nevertheless confessed that he had been convinced that his party would have been returned to power.
The result of Grenada’s elections mirrors a trend that has been prevalent throughout the Caribbean of late … that of incumbents falling victim to a call for change in their countries’ administrations by the electorate.
In most of the cases, the outgoing governments were ousted after serving two terms in office, demonstrating that perhaps, the populations of the various islands considered that they had expended whatever ideas they had possessed in their arsenals; that they were found to be bereft of fresh initiatives that would take the country to levels higher than those at which they presently found themselves; and that therefore they should make way for organizations that appeared to have more, inventive proposals and give them a chance to implement them.
It would be reasonable to consider that, under normal circumstances, five years would hardly be sufficient to allow an administration to fully show its mettle and put in place all that would be deemed necessary in order to show positive economic and social advancement in the fortunes of the people they were called to serve … but that after a tenure of ten, a government would have had to demonstrate a special ability to take care of its constituents, if it had any hope of finding favour in the eyes of the populace, to the extent that they would wish to renew its mandate and extend the life of its hold on the reins of power.

Governments that have gone past the ten-year mark – like the John Compton administration – are few and far between and, in some cases, have become almost legendary … as have the leaders who have been at their helms.
That distinction however, is becoming more and more rare as populations become increasingly demanding (and rightly so) of their elected officials.
In these times when survival is becoming increasingly more difficult, what with our islands’ economies being put under pressure by all sorts of external forces, it is not surprising that, upon feeling the pinch, the inhabitants of our various countries will tend to look about for alternatives to those who are in the seat when the heat begins to feel unbearable.
It is becoming the norm, unfortunately for them, to change incumbent governments for those who, hopefully, may be able to come to the table with fresh ideas … or who can convincingly-enough promise to do so.
Not that the incumbents may have necessarily not performed, but ten years begins to seem like a long time for people who are feeling desperate for solutions to their perceived ills, no matter what the cause.