By: Helen Grenade
June 20, 2023
Prime Minister of Grenada, Dickon Mitchell, celebrated his first year anniversary of becoming the leader of Grenada under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and while he was new to the political landscape, he is now a one year veteran with the honeymoon stage having long since passed.
Upon defeating former Prime Minister Keith C. Mitchell’s New National Party (NNP) by a margin of nine to six, he has slowly begun to take Grenada into a new era.
In a remarkable turn of events, the newcomer candidate, (Dickon) Mitchell, captured Parliament and took the country by storm as the new leader and Prime Minister. The people of Grenada consciously elected an outsider in anticipation of change, although former Prime Minister, Dr Keith Mitchell had the political pedigree and was and still is a well-known brand to Caribbean politics. It was a time when voters were especially angry at the establishment class in St. George’s. Prime Minister Mitchell gained thousands of followers during the election, making it seemed like he had found his place in the world. He knows his space and he is owning it.
Prime Minister Mitchell effectively leveraged his underdog status and pulled off a win against a popular candidate for the leadership of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique, a veteran politician who already knew the responsibilities and expectations of the job. It’s been stated time and time again that leaders are made not born, but rather, most are shaped by professional and or personal experiences.
Grenadians cast their votes one year ago, based on specific characteristics they were looking for in their candidates of their choice and credibility is important above all. A credible political leader is one who gains people’s trust and gets voted into power.
Prime Minister Mitchell, while lacking political experience, had strong experience as a Corporate Lawyer. Political experience is not at all necessary to become a political leader and Parliamentarian. One of the most common pathways to leadership of any country has been that of the legal profession. What we can safely say about Prime Minister Mitchell, however, is that he has a lot of political talent as well as a genuine desire to serve.
His supporters believe that his leadership is already making an impact as prime Minister of Grenada and they rate him high highly. If for nothing else, he will be remembered as the new outsider who defeated a veteran politician and who paid the workers their pension money that’s owed to them by the Keith Mitchell NNP government.
Younger and inexperienced candidates are now becoming the norm and that’s what we’re witnessing in Grenada, where voters are sending them into political office. It used to be that candidates who held political office were better performers and would generally out-perform candidates that had no electoral experience. But as the people of Grenada and other parts of the world saw in, 2022 they voted overwhelmingly for the newcomers, signs that voters are showing more willingness to back candidates not attached to the establishment. This is now happening with the two main political parties as they increasingly support inexperienced aspirants.
We are seeing the phenomenon of more inexperienced candidates vying for political office, as voters believe those candidates have not been in any way subjected to corrupting influences in Parliament or government.
Prime Minister Mitchell, on the other hand, had intentionally distanced himself from Grenada’s political establishment, before he ran one of the most successful political campaigns in the country’s history. Being a political leader is no easy task and some say experience matters. But increasingly, the Grenadian voters view being qualified for political leadership as a disqualification. Today, freshness rules, the people are choosing the least experienced candidates in the political fields.
Prime Minister Mitchell’s political inexperience acted to his advantage, noting that there was a “general” mood for change and that he was able to seize a moment where voters were protesting, not only against the NNP government, but also against the political class.
Prime Minister Mitchell’s supporters are in agreement that “great leaders don’t need experience, just look at what he has done right so far. He is making a real impact”.
He is talented, politically savvy, determined, creative, motivated, confident, secured, valuable, accepted and approved. He is ambitious, he has integrity and accountability, the essential qualities of a good leader. He is one of a few politicians in Grenada that comes with these principles of leadership, and he is already showing a strong indication of a successful political leader, a man with a vision towards the future whose focus is on the people and country above all else
Prime Minister Mitchell has proven in only one year, that his visionary dream for Grenada is turning into success stories, he is accomplishing his goals. He lives by the maxim, country before self. Today is a good occasion to celebrate and reaffirm unity of purpose.
In Grenada today there is an increasing awareness that this new government is about representing the will of its people and the removal of the remnants of inequality from our midst.