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The happenings in our Spice Isles now-a-days,
seems to be pointing towards a return to the dark old days of 1972/74 on the one hand, and 1979 to 1983 on the other. In
the 1972/74 period, beatings of suspected opponents of the Gairy regime was common place on the Streets of Grenada, and because
those actions of violence were administered by the so-called Mongoose Gang members - nothing came of any reports made to the
Police in those dismal days of repression and dictatorship. The coming on stream of the NJM in May, 1973, started a drop
in the incidence of beatings, as the people began showing their support for the emerging group of young leaders, who seemed
fearless of the Gairy’s gangs in those days. And then Gairy’s number One “Bad John”- the then
notorious Innocent Belmar - Superintendent of Police at the time - went overboard when he led a gang of thugs at the Bhola’s
junction in Grenville, St. Andrew, and brutalised the NJM Six on that fateful Sunday afternoon of 18th November, 1973, in
broad daylight. The beatings of Maurice Bishop, Unison Whiteman, Kenrick Radix and others, started the downward trend
and eventual demise of the Gairy administration. The Sir Herbert Duffus Commission of Inquiry, (a three member Commission)
after hearing evidence over many months, recommended the removal of Belmar from the Police Force and Gairy complied. He
later brought Belmar into his GULP Political team and he sucessfully contested a seat in St. Andrew in the December 1976 General
Elections - when Gairy lost Five of his 1972 seats to the Alliance, which comprised three parties (GNP, NJM, and UPP) and
they in fact won Six seats - with the late H. A. Blaize retaining his seat in Carriacou and Petite Martinique. Belmar
did not last very long afterwards. He was shot at the Bamboo Bar in Birchgrove one night, as the violence was escalating and
Gairy’s use of physical oppression was met and matched by the people in opposition - led by the NJM. And then came
March 13th 1979, when the Gairy regime was overthrown by the NJM and the (PRG) Peoples Revolutionary Government was born and
lived for only Four and a half (4 ½ ) years. It is fair to say that there was a sigh of relief - all over Grenada and
among Grenadians overseas, because so many thought that we were then on the road to some measure of peace, freedom, and good
and fair Government. How very wrong so many of us soon found out - it would take books to record, but it is all history.
The point I wish to make, however, is that violence can only breed more violence, and in the long run those who think
they are victorious because they inflict, or administer what others deserve with “horse whip” or whatever - they
are only fooling themselves, and not for very long, because what goes around violently or immorally, comes around in like
manner. All the above came flooding back to my mind’s eye, when I read Geof Croome’s letter to me of the 27th
June, 2005, and learnt later on that he was trying to borrow a horse whip, from my friend and colleague Anselm Clouden, to
chastise someone. He did not say to Clouden who that someone was, but in putting the request timing and the letter date together,
the rest was easy to decipher. I hope this is not the beginning of an expatriate white group of modern day “Mongoose
Gang Economic Citizens” - fearing that the prop and support group that brought them here, and facilitated their questionable
and often times illegal dealings in our land, because that group is on the downward slope, they are openly showing their true
colours to frighten and intimidate those of us who are not afraid to call a spade, a spade. I can see clearly that they
do have a whole lot to fight for and maintain - but I must warn A. G. Croome and those of a like mind set, to thread slowly,
and do not mistakenly assume that politeness and the tendency towards forgiveness, even remotely add up to weakness.
In the meantime, I must say that the Commissioner of Police, to whom I gave a copy of the letter and requested his input
to avoid a possible breach of the peace, he acted fairly promptly and had a C.I.D. Officer visit my office to take a statement
and enquiry of me what action I was seeking, on this obvious threat to my safety and well being. As a first step, towards
helping the peace and public order process, I have simply requested that the Commissioner of Police call in the mis-guided
angry man and issue a firm warning to him - to think again and again, before he proceeds to administer whatever he believes
I deserve. As for the subject of his anger, unless he is aware of some things I have no knowledge of - in which case he
must be guided by his own conscience and knowledge - I suggest he reads the passage in that Article again for clarification.
I did not and could not have been implying any collusion between the Ambassador and the Prime Minister in any dishonest
or deceitful act - as he put it. I was simply commenting on the sworn evidence of the two security men - that they saw
no money in the only briefcase that came out of the room, where the Prime Minister and Resteiner was meeting in the presence
of Ms. Coutain. And since the Prime Minister admitted to all and sundry, that he had received about $15,000.00 U.S. from
Resteiner for the legitimate expenses of his entourage, then I suggested that if he was not carrying the said sum in his pocket,
it may or could have been in the lady’s handbag. The logical inference being that as a public Servant in the Prime Minister’s
Ministry at the time, she was merely carrying out her duty to her boss, by the safe keeping of a legitimate gift he had received
(presumably) in her presence from a Grenadian Diplomat. So where is the damage to the lady’s honour and reputation
and good name? I fail to see it. The second area of concern relates to GBN TV and its programming. For Monday 27th June
- 2005, I was approached by the Producer of “Beyond The Headlines” to appear on the programme together with Mr.
Terry Forrester - the PRO for NNP and the Government. We were going to discuss the Commission of Inquiry hearings that
were adjourned on the 17th June, 2005. On the Monday morning I realised that I had a prior engagement in Gouyave, for
the (29th June) Fishermen’s Birthday Celebrations which were ongoing since the week before - so I called the Producer
to withdraw and suggested he gets someone to replace me on the night. It seems the Producer got Mr. Nazim Burke, PRO of
the NDC and an Attorney who was following the proceedings from way back, and that looked like a fair match for Mr. Forrester
- who had been carrying on some days before about the NDC’s inability to produce evidence to the Inquiry. In the
meatime the Court of Appeal of the OECS - not the Privy Council as I saw in a report on the Informer - gave a Ruling in a
Case involving the Government of Grenada and Dipcon Engeering Company from Trinidad, on the said Monday morning. The Ruling
simply said, that the Master in a Chambers (Private) hearing some months before, was wrong to dismiss the new Claim filed
by the Government - after Dipcon had won its case and the Privy Council had made an Order that the Government of Grenada must
pay the said Dipcon some Sixteen Million Dollars since early last year, plus continuing interest. I will come back to
that Ruling later on; but Mr. Hugh Wildman, who appeared for the Government before the Master and in the Court of Appeal I
believe, was so elated and overflowing with excitement - that he was holding Press Conferences left, right and centre, boasting
about this great victory. And so it came to pass, that Mr. Forrester called the GBN Producer to state that he was not
appearing as pre-arranged, and the topic should be changed from the Commission of Inquiry to the Dipcon/Government issue -
and Mr. Hugh Wildman will be appearing in his place. A straight case of “Radio free Grenada” of the PRG era
all over again - except that the Government of Grenada only owns a very minority interest in GBN at this time - whereas the
PRG controlled Radio Grenada at the time (1979 to 1983). Anyway, Mr. Burke was contacted to convey the changed arrangements,
and he quite rightly responded that he knew nothing about the Dipcon Ruling of the said day and therefore cannot make any
valuable contribution, so he declined to appear. Mr. Wildman, on the other hand, turned up at the GBN Studio for the programme
and after ten or so minutes Lew Smith had to face the public and announce that the programme was cancelled for that night.
As for all the nonsense that if Government wins its Claim against Dipcon, the award by the Privy Council could all be
wiped away - is nothing more than empty and shameless propaganda. The ward, which must be nearing Eighteen to Twenty Millions
by now, stands forever. Government terminated the Contract because, it claimed, the Company was not paying the royalty,
or whatever it was called, of Ninety Thousand per year - so if this latest claim is not out of time, the most that could be
awarded is the arrears plus interest thereon; peanuts by comparison to the Millions Taxpayers are already paying to Dipcon,
all because the said Wildman refused to appear before Mr. Justice Brian Alleyne, or put in a Defence, and Judgment was
given to Dipcon by default. The said behaviour was referred to by the Privy Council as “the Government and its Counsel
(Wildman), playing loose and disrespectful games with the High Court, and Mr. Wildman’s action against Justice Brain
Alleyne (now acting Chief Justice) as frivolous, vexatious, and an abuse of the process of the Court. But all those legalities
notwithstanding, and the dice clearly heavily loaded against the powers-that-be, for their persistent mis-demeanor and flagrant
abuse of everything we once held sacrosanct - it seems that the hangers-on, and fraudulent beneficiaries who are living nice
and filling their pockets, while Grenada and its people go further and further down the bottomless gutter - those crooks and
misfits are bent on baseless propaganda and threats of violence, in an attempt to detract people from the real burning issues
now engulfing our suffering Nation. I suppose that the old saying is so true that - “plants (people) that live and
mix and grow together, imbibe each other qualities - good, bad, or indifferent. And since our Government best friends now-a-days
are to be found in Havanna, Tripoli and Beijing, among other like-minded culprits - what else can we expect? But history
has a way of repeating itself with the passage of time - so I am sounding a warning to those who are taking liberties and
advantage of our poor people, and with the Nation’s assets - that Judgment day is never far away, and because it missed
you yesterday do not believe it pass you forever. On another historic note, it is good news that our Court of Appeal saw
it fit to grant Leave to the “Richmond Hill 13 or 17 to appeal to the Privy Council - in their protracted battle
for Justice. But therein also lies a message to those pretending to be blind, and deaf, and stupidee.
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