PR – The Democratic People’s Movement (DPM) formally elected Independent MP Peter David as its Political Leader and sent an unmistakable message to Grenada’s political establishment last Sunday: a new force has arrived, and it is ready to compete.
In a high-energy, professionally run inaugural Congress at the Grenada Trade Centre, the party selected eight candidates for the upcoming general election, installed a full executive, and confirmed David as leader by a unanimous, delegate-driven vote.
Delegate after delegate rose beneath tall banners bearing the DPM’s logo in an open and democratic display of unity.
“We witnessed today, comrades and friends putting their hands up – not just to vote for members who will be in the vanguard of this Movement, but as a signal of their own readiness – of your readiness – to be part of this march forward,’’ David told attendees at the Trade Centre that buzzed with music, colour and digital screens, featuring graphics and portraits of each candidate as they addressed the crowd — an event that drew wide praise from online observers.
“Hundreds of delegates from across the land gathered here from early this morning, not just to select an executive and to give their nods to a progressive agenda, but to set the tone for our engagement in our communities. I want to thank all of you for your participation,’’ added David.
“Together, we continue to dream, understanding that every society that achieved something great for itself had hopes cultivated by the dreams of people who willed themselves to create history.’’
Underscoring the DPM’s seriousness, former government senator Arley Gill — a well-known name in Grenadian politics — was named Deputy Political Leader.
“Only a few short weeks ago, I had not decided to be a direct participant in this Movement, even though I always shared the value and the vision.
But there was something that kept telling me that there is more that I can do; there is more that I should do,’’ Gill said in his address on Sunday.
“I have learnt that you don’t join a movement. You get swept by it. And you become the movement, and the movement becomes you. And so together with you – we are off and running,’’ he said.
“In this defining moment in history; on this stage and in this place; we shall lay our markers down. We shall take a stand.’’
Gill will contest the St. John constituency, while David will contest the Town of St. George.
Apart from Gill, another popular son of the Parish of St. John that participated in the Congress was soca superstar, Mr. Killa.
The DPM’s full slate of candidates selected on March 22 includes Andy Best (St. Patrick West), Pamela Williams (St. Andrew North East), Olvine Holas (St. Andrew North West), Aaron Lewis (St. Andrew South West), Charmaine Gibbs (St. George South), and Christopher Cudjoe (Carriacou and Petite Martinique).
The momentum of DPM has been building since its widely talked-about launch late last year. The party is increasingly being viewed as a genuine contender — drawing support from disaffected NNP and NDC voters alike, as well as a new generation of Grenadians seeking an alternative.
“From henceforth, our collective tasks are to find believers who shall begin to understand that there is a different way, a better way,’’ DPM Leader David told delegates and supporters attending Sunday’s Congress.
“Let’s build a movement not merely for the next election, but the next generation; cultivating a culture for which patriots can be proud; invoking the spirits of ancestors who overcame the worst excesses of history and a people who never lost hope, even in times when families lost their way,’’ he said.
“And in these times; in these very times, there is a call for leadership with clarity and conscience; leaders that must inspire nation builders to understand that sovereignty is worth fighting for and worth defending; for the core of our souls are not embedded in transactions or personal aggrandizements; and that the way you take care of your family is by first taking care of your nation.’’
