By: Staff Writer
January 5, 2024
The Dickon Mitchell administration in Grenada has blocked all media access to Thursday’s cabinet swearing in a move that is unprecedented in Grenada’s short history.
Prime Minister Mitchell promised a cabinet shuffle last year, some 18 months into his new administration. In a shock, it was expected that former Social Development Minister Delma Thomas of the former New National Party (NNP) administration into the Congress government was to be brought in to the National Democratic Congress government.
Cabinet ministers are set to be announced some time on Friday, but the media access has been blocked until a formal notification comes from the Mitchell administration.
With Thomas being brought in it leads to speculation that Mr Mitchell may be having fractions in the NDC, which may lead to a possible breaking up of his government.
It is also speculated that some of his NDC parliamentarians are upset with the cabinet shuffle and could have set a protest at the ceremony, considering that a former NNP cabinet minister is being brought into the fold above other qualified and loyal NDC parliamentarians.
The New Today reported, Thomas crossed the floor in May 2022 following a protracted dispute between the her and her former political boss Keith Mitchell of NNP within months of the change of government following the June 23, 2022 general election.
Thomas told her supporters at a public meeting that Keith Mitchell slammed her for suggesting that former Agriculture Minister Peter David should succeed him as the new Political Leader of NNP following the results of the national poll.
The New Today also reported that the biggest casualty in the Cabinet Reshuffle will be the St George North-East Member of Parliament Ron Redhead who will lose his Sports and Culture portfolio.
Mr Mitchell said a decision has been taken by the Cabinet of Ministers and the Political arm of the NDC to relieve Redhead of his Cabinet responsibilities at this time to allow him to go back to school to complete his Master’s degree.
Mr Mitchell was quoted as saying that he sees Redhead as one who should be afforded the opportunity at this point in time to take care of his “personal development” in light of the fact that he is considered as a person who will be “the future of the NDC party.”
In addition, the source said the former government minister will be afforded more time to concentrate on the political work in the constituency which was once considered as a garrison for NDC under its founder leader, the late George Brizan in the 199O’s and early 2000’s under Nazim Burke before it fell into the hands of NNP in the 2013-2022 period.