Denial from Hamlet Mark

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Parent Category: Jan 2012

Category: Week end Jan 28th, 2012

Published on Sunday, 29 January 2012 13:34

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Miami-based Grenadian journalist, Hamlet Mark has denied reports circulating in the country that he had ditched his close aide, Tourism Minister Peter David and is now seeking to work with the main opposition, New National Party (NNP) for the upcoming general elections.

THE NEW TODAY newspaper has obtained a “confidential” document, which alleged that Mark had approached the Keith Mitchell-led opposition offering his services to help “craft the narrative for the re-election of the New National Party...”.

The document claimed that the proposal was coming from the previously unheard of group known as OneAgenda Inc, a registered company in the State of Florida. In a telephone interview on Wednesday with this newspaper,  Mark said that he had heard before about the company but denied having any connection with it.

“My company is Hamlet Media Group, and Westword Global Media,” he remarked. Checks made by THE NEW TODAY with a US government internet site led us to the incorporation of OneAgenda Inc with registered address at 3630 SW 32nd Avenue, West Park, FL 33023, the same as the Hamlet Media Group Inc.

According to the report on the site, the company was established on October 19, 2011 with the principal persons being Lisa M. Mark and Hamiyd R. Mark, both the wife and son of Hamlet Mark.

When presented with this information hours later, Mark said that he can now recall registering this company but could not say what work it is engaged in. He promised to call back later to give further details about the functioning of OneAgenda Inc.

Mark who scoffed at the document, which stated that this group involving his wife is embarking on providing media relations to the NNP, said it is impossible for him to work for Mitchell or current Prime Minister Tillman Thomas.

“I wouldn’t work for (Prime Minister) Tillman (Thomas) again, and for NNP that is impossible. You know Peter (David) is my boy,” he said. This newspaper understands that Lisa M. Mark had worked with former Prime Minister Mitchell when he was Minister of Communications and Works in the first NNP administration of H.A Blaize during the 1984-90 period.

The document from OneAgenda Inc speaks of being committed to “helping to recast the image of the (NNP) Political Leader, seeking to build on his strengths and achievements, while seeking to adjust any negative stereotypes particularly among considered independent voters”.

In addition, the document speaks of a commitment by the Miami outfit to “specifically raise the national profile of the new members of the (NNP) team”. This is obvious reference to businessman Nicholas Steele who is expected to contest the Town of St. George seat against Tourism Minister David and Alexandra Otway-Noel who is expected to get the nod to try and unseat Labour Minister, Glynis Roberts in South St. George.

According to the document, OneAgenda Inc will be prepared to sit down with NNP’s team members “on a periodic basis to plan, assess and review all relevant strategies that speaks to the re-election of the New National Party”.

On the question of the National Campaign Management of the main opposition, OneAgenda Inc said that it will help in “overseeing and managing all the elements that ensures a successful execution of the re-election process over a potential 18-month period”.

“Our organisation will have established a non-obvious operational office in Grenada, which will have available an agent physically present at every time during the engagement”, the document said.

“Once there is general agreement, engagement can start virtually immediately. I can be on the ground as soon as this Friday afternoon to put the framework in place for the on-the-ground organization, understand the need to hit the ground running”, it quoted the author of the document as saying. The OneAgenda Inc group reportedly asked the NNP for a fixed monthly amount of an estimated EC$28, 000.00 for its  services.

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