I read the NNP Perspective: Bills Passed in Parliament. The Perspective informed that the government continues to deliver on its promise of good governance. It then went on to elaborate on a number of bills passed in Parliament to facilitate accountability and transparency.
I write to you in your capacity as Political Leader of the People’s Labour Movement and also as someone who is considered a legal luminary – a distinguished and acknowledged expert on the issue of Constitutional Law, both in Grenada and regionally…
Hon. Minister, as a member of the Executive, your responsibility goes beyond your personal loss and grief. As a member of Government and of the political leadership of this country, it requires that, in spite of your own personal grief and loss, your responsibility should be to promote healing and reconciliation of the nation. Therefore, Hon. Minister, I consider some of your public utterances, particularly your comments on the Judge’s ruling, inappropriate and unfortunate (to say the least)…….
Following your disclosure on Community Focus, it is now my position, Sir, that you too must bear a part of the burden of collective responsibility for how events unfolded in Grenada, during the period 1979-1983, to result in the tragedy of October 19th. 1983. You were the Governor-General. It might have been an anomaly, a ludicrous position to be in. In that case, one should not be paid by state funds and be part of a charade. I deem it accountability. As you yourself indicated, people depend on the Governor-General and indeed during that period a number of people looked to you. Did you fail them?
We are aware that the political culture that pervades Grenada and the rest of the Caribbean is one in which the “old boys’ club” prevails, favours are to be repaid and a blind eye turned to certain wrong-doings. It is also a numbers game which promotes “win at any cost”. Changing the political culture and political environment that characterizes Grenada is an enormous challenge but one that must be confronted if Grenada is to rise from the gutter politics into which it has been dragged. Among other things, it requires that leadership, at all levels, leads by example.
I found these comments on the opposition NDC to be somewhat unbalanced. So once again, stricken by the ”intellectualitis disorder” triggered by exposure to this article, I have decided to go down memory lane, reminiscing about the evolution of Grenada’s current political parties.
The convention appeared to have been an occasion for “taking shots” at the Hon. Peter David, “chanting him down” as a foreigner. It was amazing!! The convention line was, ‘This country is our country! We will not allow any foreigner to take it!!’
The expression, Little Boy, which has become part of the vocabulary of the political platform, can be credited to a former lady minister of the New National Party administration back in 1998. I noted that it was an expression of choice during the round of tenth anniversary village meetings of the New National Party. From these meetings, it would seem that two other popular expressions have emerged – biting the hand that feed you and ungratefulness.
Once or twice can be forgiven as a mistake. Past that, it becomes a habit. It has become a HABIT of members of our government to consort with persons of dubious reputation and character, much to the detriment of Grenada. In this regard, our Rt. Hon. Prime Minister heads the list – consorting with internationally renowned fraudsters like Eric Resteiner, Viktor Kozeny a.k.a. “the Pirate of Prague”, Van Brink of First International Bank of Grenada notoriety! So it comes as no surprise that his peons in the party and in Cabinet follow the example.
I listened with keen interest to your address to the NNP’s General Council, which was carried live on Wee FM Radio, on Sunday, February.27th. I noted that the subject of your address was the politics of hate, the subject of a letter I had written to you in October 2003, prior to the November general elections. At least you seemed to have read my letter!!
