PM'S ACTIONS TO BE COMMENDED
Wendy Grenade

Prime Minister Tillman Thomas’ request for the resignation of former Attorney General, James Bristol, should be commended for several reasons but I will focus on a few.

In Grenada and the Caribbean, it is not general practice for Prime Ministers to link their actions while in government to their campaign promises. Yet, Prime Minister Thomas is standing by his party’s commitment to ‘restore integrity’ in public life and must be commended for this principled position. 

A review of the case indicates that while Mr. Bristol made an error of judgement and definitely crossed the line, he did not commit a glaring offence. To borrow from legal jargon, his actions may be interpreted as a serious misdemeanour but not a gross felony.

Yet, Prime Minister Thomas erred on the side of caution and requested Mr. Bristol to submit his resignation. He must be commended for using sound judgement in this case. This was an act of courage, since the Prime Minister’s actions may have disappointed key members of his own party and some members of Grenada’s elite class.  Despite dissenting views, he displayed good leadership.

Even as I commend Prime Minister Thomas, I caution that this was not a real test, since the NDC government did not stand to lose any political capital in this case. Mr. Bristol’s resignation did not in any way threaten the stability of the NDC government. The real test will come when the Prime Minister is faced with a critical decision which requires a trade off between principle and political power. If such an occasion arises and he chooses principle at the expense of power, we could then celebrate the dawn of a new day in Grenada’s politics.

I must also caution against the use of the term ‘good governance’. In its 1992 report on Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Development – Goals in Conflict the United Nations advanced a working definition of ‘good governance’ which included among other things: effective government policies, respect for the rule of law, protection of human rights, inclusion of civil society, financial accountability, impartial system of law, checks on executive power, and many other attributes.

This is a broad term which represents ideals which should be aspired to but which are often difficult to achieve. While ‘good governance’ is important, the term should not be used loosely as it could become an unintended noose around the neck of the Prime Minister.

Nonetheless, the handling of the Bristol affair sends a positive signal that the NDC administration is serious about integrity in political life. This case presents an opportunity for the NDC government to be held accountable for integrity legislation which was enacted recently. Let’s hope that the standard set in this case creates an opening for genuine transformation in our political culture. 

Wendy Grenade is a Grenadian-born Lecturer in Political Science at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados.