INSIDE GRENADA JANUARY 02, 2008 From Hon. Tillman Thomas I pray that this NEW YEAR, 2008, will be one of cleansing of the Nation and the stronger embrace of faith in God Almighty. We must bruise our knees in constant prayer if we are to achieve the promise of better times in Grenada. The great expectations we harbor, the change we yearn for, the new economy and society we require will only be attained through the Grace of God. For these and many other important reasons, I believe that we should dedicate 2008 as the YEAR of FAITH and WORSHIP in Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique. It is only by this means that we can leave behind the gripping fear brought about by the unprecedented level of gang violence in 2007; the sad progress toward deeper poverty and the worrying scourge of child abuse, crime and intolerance experienced in 2007. The "broom of progress" cannot sweep away the entangling cobweb that is the Brief Case scandal. In 2007, the Prime Minister told the nation that it was his money and that he had to take it. We call upon him now even though he may be afraid of defending himself in the US courts, to muster the strength to defend the honour of our proud Nation. You cannot be a true believer in God and, like ADAM, seek to hide from judgment. You cannot love democracy and be afraid of fairness and justice. One thing is assured, that sad saga will not go away and the people of Grenada will not provide protection to any wrong-doer least our society collapses under the weight of double standard and lawlessness. Two Thousand and Eight must be a time when we close the chapter on corruption, victimization, recklessness and mis-management in Grenada. Good governance, respect for the rule of law and accountability must take its place. We must leave behind the record of disgrace and shame that has afflicted our nation from one scandal to the next. The time is here when we must stand with pride and a resurgent patriotism to re-build our country. Importantly, we have a young population which must be lifted up so that they can contribute and earn and show their real value to Grenada. We have a massive task of modernizing our human resources to meet the requirements of a globalised world and the Caricom Single Market and Economy. In 2008, no one should call upon Grenadians to make a choice between money and morality. It is the Lord who provides and he will certainly not provide for our needs through gay cruises and casino gambling. Our dollar must not come from drug-trafficking, bribery or theft. Our bread must come from our sweat by working with dignity. Our progress must come through social and spiritual change and by pursuing clean economic opportunities. Working with the private sector and through foreign direct investment we will create many such opportunities. This will be an important year for us all. We must decide whether we will raise ourselves to the high ground of decency, honest prosperity and good governance, or, whether we will take the road which progresses downhill to social decadence, greed, corruption, victimization and abuse of power. The eyes and minds of our young people are wide open, alert and clear. They will log on to a vision of social and economic upliftment. They will CANCEL the viruses of cheap politics, window dressing and wheeling and dealing. They will not log on to the emerging patterns of corruption which grow the pockets of a few at a high cost to the welfare of the citizens. They want to light up Grenada with their talents, dreams and ambitions. They know that the real progress is about to begin under the National Democratic Congress. The progress Grenada needs is fundamentally different from that which the Government has put on sale. Our duty as an instrument of our democracy is to bring fresh, lasting, balanced and real development for the benefit of all the people. WE CAN DO SO ONLY IF WE ANCHOR OURSELVES IN THE ONE, SOLID ROCK IN WHOM WE BELIEVE AND TRUST. As we enter 2008, may we be guided by the salutary words of our National Anthem: "Ever conscious of God, being proud of our heritage, may we with faith and courage aspire, build and advance". This is our call to action. We must act together in 2008 for the progress of our Nation. Thank you and May God bless our Nation.