Ceremony for new GG postponed

By Michael Bascombe

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, Nov. 18, 2008 – The swearing-in ceremony for Governor General designate Carlyle Glean will not take place on Wednesday as previously announced, according to the Office of the Prime Minister.

In a dispatched late Tuesday the Government said that the royal commission of appointment for the swearing-in ceremony did not arrive on Tuesday.

According to the Government the ceremony will take place on a date to be announced shortly.

Mr. Glean, a former Government Minister and retired University Lecturer, will become the island’s fifth Governor General since the attainment of Independence in 1974.

Mr. Glean had served as Education Minister between 1990 and 1995 under a previous administration of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) Party.

He is replacing Sir Daniel Williams who retired on Tuesday, after serving for the past 12 years.

During a national address earlier this month Sir Daniel announced his retirement and said that he enjoyed his stint as the Head of State, and did it to the best of his ability.

“I addressed you on many occasions during the last 12 years as Governor General but this is probably my last address in that office because her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has accepted my request for retirement,” he said.

“I will be retiring on the 18 November 2008. I am grateful to Her Majesty and the Government and people of Grenada for giving me the opportunity to serve in the highest office in this beautiful country and in my humble opinion I did the job to the best of my limited ability”.

However, Sir Daniel criticised some people and sections of the media for what he described as an attack on the Office of the Governor General and for once felt regretting his acceptance as Head of State.

“After serving this country for almost all my working life but especially the last 24 years, mainly in government and then in the last 12 years as Governor General I am enormously disappointed by the outrageous, vicious, libelous statements made by certain persons in a local newspaper about me”.

Sir Daniel said lies were told of which the correct information was available.

“It seemed to me that those who published the lies in that newspaper didn’t wish to publish the truth. Thos persons are evil because they used the lies as the basis to say many false and bad things about me,” he said.

“What is most unfortunate, the persons who made those malicious statements know that the tradition is well established that a Governor General is not expected to enter a political platform or write on the newspaper to defend himself.

Those false allegations were very offensive and for the first time in 12 years as Governor General I was forced to feel regretful that I had accepted the appointment of Governor General”.

Sir Daniel said that he is certain that talented men and women who can make a valuable contribution to government will hesitate to present themselves for service for fear of being innocently suffering disgrace and indignity at the pen of malicious persons.