Shirley Roland McQueen. Photo: DPM
Nominated Democratic People’s Movement (DPM) candidate Shirley Rolanda McQueen has been retained as a director on the board of the Grenada Development Bank (GDB).
The Government Gazette for Friday, 9 October named McQueen as one of 6 retained GDB directors after Cabinet approved the reconstituted board at its meeting on 24 August 2026. The board will operate for 2 years, effective from 25 August 2026.
Retained directors:
- Andrea St Bernard – Chairman
- Valentine Antoine – Deputy Chairman
- Royston Cumberbatch
- Patrick Simmons
- Trevor St Bernard
- Rolanda McQueen
New appointments:
- Petipha Lewis – Commerce
- Robin Singh – Accounting
- Jason Williams – Engineering
The Gazetted Notice of Grant of a Poll by Returning Officer Shirleen Robertson for the Constituency of St Andrew South East lists McQueen as set to vie for the seat alongside the New National Party (NNP) Political Leader Emmalin Pierre and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate David Andrew, who is currently Minister for Education.
Section 31(4)(a) of the Grenada Constitution Act states that a person shall not be qualified to be elected as a member of the House of Representatives if he or she holds or is acting in any public office or appointment (either individually or by reference to a class of public office or appointment).
However, the Constitution does not define every appointment made by Government as a “public office.” Section 111 of the Constitution defines public office as “any office of emolument (salary, fee, or profit from employment or office) in the public service.” Serving as a director of a statutory body or corporation is not considered public office.
The Grenada Development Bank Act establishes the GDB as a body corporate, and provides that the board consists of 9 directors, appointed by the Minister for Finance. The Act therefore creates a statutory corporation and a statutory board, but it does not state that the directors are public officers or that the office of GDB director is an office in the public service. The Constitution reinforces this distinction.
Under section 84 of the Constitution, the Public Service Commission has the power to appoint persons to offices in the public service. GDB directors, by contrast, are appointed by the Minister under the GDB Act, not appointed to the public service.
Therefore, the Act does not prohibit being nominated as a candidate for general elections. However, if McQueen is elected, she will have to resign from the GDB Board, as the Act states that “A person who is a member of the House of Representatives or the Senate shall not be appointed a director.”
Notwithstanding the foregoing, significant conflict-of-interest considerations remain, as Ms McQueen represents another party but is appointed to the GDB board under the NDC administration.
C Francique
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