BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, May 28, 2010 (Labour Secretariat Press Release) - Recent elections regionally and internationally have seen leaders of their parties accepting responsibility for their failure at the polls and tendering their resignations as a sign of their contrition.
The recent United Kingdom elections saw leader of the Labour Party and former Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, accepting full responsibility for his party’s loss. Mr. Brown tendered his resignation as leader of his party saying that he had let down his supporters.
This week, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Patrick Manning, accepted full responsibility for his party’s dismal performance at the polls that paved the way for the Republic’s first female Prime Minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar. Manning indicated that he would be stepping down as leader of his party, the People’s National Movement.
Manning called a snap election two and a half years before it was constitutionally due much to the surprise of the entire electorate.
True leaders accept responsibility when there is a failure within the party or organization.
However, Leader of the People’s Action Movement (PAM), Lindsay Grant, has not publicly acknowledged any failure on his part to lead his party to success at the polls and has not confessed any failure of responsibility that led his party to its fourth consecutive loss at the polls.
Both Manning and Brown convincingly won their seats despite their party’s loss at the polls.
Grant has never won the seat in Constituency #4, a desired goal that continues to bedevil him every night before he goes to sleep and haunt him when he awakes.
Grant will not give up in the face of calls for him to step down as the party’s leader, calls that even come from his own “Gang of Five”, who registered their displeasure over his leadership in the form of a signed petition.
Grant’s clinging to power is tantamount to a drowning man clinging to a straw. His only hope and salvation has been his money, but not even that has been able to buy him the votes that he desperately needs to win.
The political pundits say it’s time for Grant to move on and pave the way for someone else to lead the PAM.
His faux pas in the Marriott scandal has revealed serious leadership deficiencies for a man aspiring to political office. But, there is only one problem with this fact, Grant disagrees.
One insider of the PAM said that the “Gang of Five” who questioned Grant’s leadership and called for his relinquishing of power as head of the party has no clout because they are neither members of the executive nor members of the rank and file of the party. They are a bunch of “Johnny Come Latelies” it was said.
It was also said that at this time that Grant will stay on as the party’s leader because there is no one prepared to succeed him and to carry on the party financially.
So while other political leaders, including prime ministers, bow out of political leadership when they recognize that they have failed, Grant will hold on because of his megalomaniac aspirations of becoming the next Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis. It is this desire that drives him.
Grant will run again and again and again.
However, there is one thing that will make him lose again and again and again.
That one thing is Grant’s hubris!
