CATEGORY:COMMENTARY ----------------------- INSIDE GRENADA Wednesday March 07,2007 by Lloyd Noel (Attorney-at-law) I do not suppose that we will find it ever easy - to chart a course in to-day’s economic, political, and diplomatic jungle, that will be pleasing to all, or fully and comfortably satisfy all our needs. On the other hand, that should not mean we must be constantly changing our methods of operation, or the pathways we have been following in that jungle - every time a new, or seemingly more loaded and larger fruit tree comes into our view. In the midst of to-day’s modern and with-it entrapments, that most people fail to recognise until it is too late to turn back, or to take another pathway to safety - we have the philosophers, and psychologists, and other experts, all over-loading us with more and more data from their scientific researches. And while I have no quarrel with progress and so-called development - I still have a whole lot of faith and confidence in the wisdom of our old folks and their adage. For example - “you know what you have but you don’t know what you getting;” and even when what you getting looks much bigger and better on the surface, what lies beneath the surface could be a disaster. And nearer to the spiritual side of our lives - “don’t sell your soul to the highest bidder, because the payment you receive may well be a lot dirtier;” and never forget, “that we are merely passing through as pilgrims on this earth, and when we leave, we leave behind us all that we have acquired, and only take with us who we are.” The above all came back to mind, after I read a commentary by Lorna Callender, on Caribbean Net News of February, 17th 2007 - in which she was taking Sir Ronald Sanders to task, for his views in two articles he wrote in the Sun Newspaper on the 6th and 14th February, 2007, in which he was advocating that all the CARICOM States should move over to supporting Mainland China - or the “People’s Republic of China” as it is officially known; in preference to supporting Taiwan, as four of those States are still doing. I have always been an impressed reader of Sir Ronald Sanders articles, and missed them when he stopped publishing on CNN - but I totally agree with Lorna Callender’s Commentary on the two articles in question. I have heard similar comments by some persons here at home, after our Government dumped Taiwan and moved over to Mainland China, for exactly the same reasons advanced by Sir Ronald. The People’s Republic of China is the 4th largest economy World wide, they have the World’s largest Foreign exchange reserves, they are contributing to the CDB in CARICOM and could also contribute to the Regional Development Fund of the CSME. In short, the People’s Republic of China has loads and loads of money to burn, so forget all that we ever stood for, and sell our very souls on the materialistic alter of the bigger money pockets; so say the People’s Republic of China advocates. Sir Ronald was even suggesting - that the majority of CARICOM States that presently have diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, should enter some form of Trade Agreement with the Communist State and simply exclude those who do not comply. In other words, officially mash up the very CSME that our Leaders have taken years to reach where we are today - and goodness knows we are still a very long way from nearly full integration - in the hope that the People’s Republic of China will continue to build more Stadiums and houses, once they are assured that our States will fall for the One China policy and vote against Taiwan at the United Nation. Mainland China with well over a Billion people to take care of at home, also have diplomatic relations with about One Hundred and Forty (140) States Worldwide, and vigorously continues to try and buy its way into the Twenty-five (25) or so States that Taiwan has diplomatic relations with.Millions and Millions of Mainland Chinese are existing way down below the poverty line - in their own homeland that is boasting all those financial and fiscal records. The irony and deception that obtains in Beijing and elsewhere on the Mainland - is that the same Capitalists and Imperialists the Communist State and its Leaders abhor, and teach their Citizens to regard as enemies of the proletariat and working class - they are allowed to invest their U.S. Millions in factories of every description on the Mainland and pay those poor Chinese a pittance for slave labour. Billions of U.S. dollars are made in profits, and the Cheaply made goods can be found on shelves Worldwide - in shops and stores of every description almost for peanuts, as compared with similar goods made in Countries where workers enjoy human rights and labour rights. Whereas in Taiwan, where I had the pleasure of visiting and observing, with its 23 Million people - and its independent and extremely admirable economic record, its human and workers rights, its highly democratic practices that allow its people to enjoy all the freedom we are always clamouring about, including religious freedom to worship as the people desire. I fully agree with Lorna Callender, that they are more than qualified to take their seat in the United Nation and ought to be allowed to do just that. And our hypocritical Leaders in these parts, who like to boast about human rights when it suits them, they should really be changing their tune and supporting what is right and morally just, rather than selling their souls for filthy Lucra. The source and the basis from which the World records of economic excellence are obtained in Mainland China, are not any better, in my view, than allowing money laundering from Drugs, or any other fraudulent dealings, to enter our States on the pretence of economic development. True enough, we will get a new Stadium, a few bridges and some houses, and whatever else - but at the expense of suffering workers, and Millions who are deprived of basic human rights in their own homeland. There is nothing to learn or achieve, in the context of human development as a people, from the foregoing. In passing, I should also make mention of another Article by Sir Ronald Sanders of the 24th February - in which he was commenting on a devilish problem facing the Caribbean, in the impasse between President Bush of the U.S.A. and President Chavez of Venezuela. I can see the merit in his analysis of the problems existing in the Region, as coming from or being created by both Bush and Chavez.But I cannot agree with his conclusion, that small Caribbean Countries should not be seen to be on the side of supporting either of them.We have far more to lose as a people in the CARICOM States, if we fall for Chavez rantings and ravings and socialist rhetoric. And by the same token, far more to gain by openly supporting the U.S.A. As for our Grenadian people, and the depths of despair and hopelessness from which they were Rescued in October, 1983, God must always Bless America, and have mercy on President Reagan, and may his soul rest in peace. On other issues that touch and concern us personally in the Spice Isles - one or two of them need mentioning to keep our people aware of where we are heading. Following the statement by the lady Minister for Health, a couple of weeks or so ago, that work on the second phase of the General Hospital development was being suspended, because her Ministry did not wish to have construction on-going during the CWC 2007 Matches in Grenada in April - an official made another startling announcement last week. He said that all Surgical operations, scheduled for the existing Hospital during the World Cup Match days in Grenada, i.e. April 10 to 21st, will be suspended for later on down the road - because the operating Theatre and other supporting facilities at the said Hospital, must be kept free and available, in case of any emergency during those Match days - words to that effect. The implications involved in that statement speak for themselves - but the question remains, are we really ready for the World Cup in Grenada? True enough, we have a beautiful Stadium, and the roads and bridges may very well be ready in time - but is the price we are being asked to pay, in many more ways than at the gates, really worth the sacrifice? The verdict is yours. Then in the “Wildman for Attorney General drama” - in which the Government’s nominee and Legal Adviser, Hugh Wildman, was rejected by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission (JLSC) for the position of Attorney General of Grenada. The Court of Appeal handed down its decision last week Wednesday in St. Lucia, and dismissed the Appeal - although Wildman had two high-powered Q.C. and S.C. presenting his case. And of course, the story at the time was that the English Q.C. was paid One Million dollars E.C.C., to appear in Court for about Three hours to put his case. Mr. Wildman had insisted after the case, that he had paid the Q.C. personally and the fee was £15,000.00. The receipt from the Q.C.’s Chambers for the said sum clearly showed that the fee was for a “Privy Council issue” - so he must have been paying in advance, for an Appeal from the Court of Appeal decision which was handed down last week - assuming that he would get leave to go all the way to London. And needless to say, poor Grenadians would again have to foot the Bill for the Legal fees, of the English and Trinidadian Senior Counsels. Is it any wonder that the sick and suffering cannot get drugs and dressings, in our Hospital and Clinics Island wide? I also noticed that the GULP Deputy Political Leader, Mr. Reynold Benjamin, Barrister-at-Law, had written a personal letter to the Prime Minister about the $2.5 Million U.S. dollars - that the Global Petroleum Company had paid to Government, during the negotiations between the Company and the Government’s Energy minister, Hon. Gregory Bowen. The concern expressed, was centred around the deathly silence by all those involved with the transaction, and the continued absence of any trace of the said sum in the Treasury of Grenada. And in the same Grenada Today Newspaper last week, a notice filed in the District Court in New York in January, in the case between Grynberg and RSM against Gregory Bowen and some Russians - clearly shows that the Claim for $500 Millions - U.S. dollars, is still very much alive and existing. And that leaves me to wonder, about the statement made by the Deputy Prime Minister in Parliament - when he claimed that Mr. Grynberg had written to the Government, seeking a settlement of the matter and offering to apologise to Mr. Bowen. Maybe the Government’s “Brilliant” Legal Adviser has come up with a scheme, to turn the tables around and obtain Judgment in Bowen’s favour. All we have to do is dream. But then again - dreams come to abrupt ends and rarely come true; so we are still left with the question - where are we?