April 24, 2008: We seem to be a country without a conscience, and because we have lived with suffering for so long – our very souls are now hardened to the point of indifference. But the price of indifference today is the end of freedom tomorrow. We cannot, as a people, develop our Tri-Island State to an acceptable standard, until and unless we learn to demand the highest levels of integrity from those occupying positions of trust. The notion of conditional honesty is never a basis for an act of Faith, and the suspicion of general dishonesty is much worse and far more degrading. Over a much too long period in these Isles, we have been subjected to all manner of sinister, under-hand, and generally un-becoming behaviour patterns – from those in authority of our nation’s affairs. And those modes of operation have been deployed across the board-touching and involving all and sundry, once those making the moves or inciting the spurious allegations or attacks, have decided among themselves that the subject of their venom is not one of their stooges and yes-men. And even when those chosen victims have stood up and shown beyond any doubt – that the dirt and accusations are without any semblance of merit or accuracy, the mud-slingers, rather then bow down in shame and beg for mercy, they become even more aggressive and shameless. And what makes that pattern of behaviour so distressing, is that too many of the attackers, followers, and supporters blindly fail to see the inherent dangers, and appear to behave as mechanical robots who cannot think at all. The result of that hopeless state of affairs is that we have moved so far backwards in terms of integrity, honesty, transparency, and dignified character and decency – that we are now scratching the very bottom of the acceptable humanitarian barrel. It never ceases to amaze me, how our supposedly caring and so concerned leaders of our people’s interest and welfare – could so wantonly destroy and squander the people’s heritage and economic assets, in their quest to acquire political advantages and at the same times fatten their already fat pockets. As the information on the De Savary and Port St. Louis projects become more and more public – as was so ably detailed and analysed by Miss Sandra Ferguson in the Sir weekly newspaper last Wednesday - it is becoming a national scandal, that would have put the Lord Brownlow La Sagesse Beach fiasco in the early 1970s, on the most obscure back-burners in terms of national issues. But Grenadians who cared and were concerned about our heritage and the land of our birth – fearlessly led by the NJM of those patriotic days, when the pure and clear vision was worth fighting for - they gathered at La Sagesse and broke down the slavery-oriented barriers to the people’s beach and took it back. The frivolous Court cases that followed – were easily overcome in the Grenville Magistrate Court in the months following. Those were the days of true patriots. It is against that background I dearly remember my long-standing humble friend and jail-mate, the late Teddy Victor – who went home to the good Lord two weeks ago, leaving us all behind to follow in the fullness of time. He helped set standards, and made personal sacrifices along the way on earth, that I have been honoured to be part of or associated with. A sad pity, that the others of standing among the group did not have the same pure and clear vision to see beyond. Gone ahead, my good friend, but not forgotten. May you always rest in peace, among His flock whom you took great pride in studying and trying to emulate. But back to our earthy woes, and trials and on-going tribulations, as we continue to face the daily cries of so many people complaining that things so bad and getting worse, prices going up and up and upwards – while the chosen few are having a field day profiteering from the very assets of those suffering people. And whether the experts would confirm it or not in the given circumstances, the kinds of atrocities that are taking place in recent times – with record numbers of serious Crimes like Murders and serious sexual offences against little infants – it seems to me that the stresses and tensions must be having some psychological effects on the culprits, who cannot withstand the pressures. And as the happenings escalate and become more intense, as they most certainly will as the day of decision draws closer – I will not be at all surprised, if very ordinary and life long peaceful and law-abiding citizens, begin to lose their cool and behave in extra-ordinary ways. In the midst of that setting and the mounting dis-quiet among our people up and down the towns and Country sides – as I am writing this Article on Saturday a.m. (19/04) – the big preparations are under-way to celebrate the NNP youth convention in Sauteurs on Sunday 20th, to be followed by a massive Blocko and wine and Jam session, with some of the big performers from Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago and some from our own back-yard here at home. The story making the rounds is that Ten Thousand Green jerseys were ordered for free distribution, and Buses and other Transports were free. The sentiments I picked up on the ground, in talking to many young folks during the past week, were that most of them were going to the jam session – because “Bunji Garlin & Bennie Man” do not come for free in these parts;So regardless of who was paying for their presence here, they were going anyway – colours of jersey not-with-standing. So that just as the older folks, who are seeing their village roads and drains and water pipes in good working conditions these past weeks, and more work continuing all over the place – those youths are saying we should be having General Elections every year, so that they can see and hear their favourite singers free gratis and for nothing – compliments NNP Election promotion. In the same context of getting things done, and putting systems in place to please or satisfy the people in an Election year – although the same things were ignored, or considered and rejected by the powers-that-be and their super Advisors over the past years – I heard the M.P. for St. Mark’s, in Parliament Last Week Friday, making the announcement that her Government was creating a “Statutory Body” – to take over and commence operations of the long-standing Poultry project that the local Investor had put all his life savings into some years ago – and the powers-that-be and their big time Trade Advisor had treated with scant regard and dumped by the wayside, along with all his ideas. Now with Elections anytime around the corner, all stops and other impediments will be speedily removed – because suddenly the M.P. and her cronies have at long last belatedly discovered, that the people of Victoria still want the project and they need the work; to survive and vote for NNP, no doubt, so as to let the progress continue. Better late than never, am sure. And as we look further down the road, at the so-called economic progress continuing – we also had the Minister of Energy, M.P. Gregory Bowen, informing the nation last week that the Gas and Oil Bonanza in our offshore waters would soon become a reality. No doubt, it seems, by the logic detailed in the Minister’s breaking news – once the Oil monies begin to flow, sooner rather than later, all our economic problems would disappear overnight. We already know, that the Agreement between our Government and Mr. Grynberg and his RSM Corporation, which was broken by Government some time ago – is the subject of Arbitration (Court) proceedings in London England, and that was heard last June with the decision expected June this year. Minister Bowen’s logic was that even if the Court finds in favour of RSM – the figure that Grynberg’s claim was asking for damages is about ($6M U.S.) Six Million U.S. dollars; and he and his Government already had one of their special foreign Developers standing by ready to pay up and take over the exploration project that Grynberg and his RSM Corporation had successfully piloted over the years. No doubt it could very well be the same shady characters in that Russian Corporation (TNK-BP) that I told you about two weeks or so ago – because they were the ones who had advanced monies to pay Lawyers in the Case. So that while our country’s image and reputation had been dragged down to the gutter, because of the repetitive very suspect deals between our officials in Government and downright Criminal elements Worldwide over the years – and the proofs are all evident in prisons across the U.S.A. - even before the same Government officials are able to convince the people to put them back in control of the nation’s affairs, they seem to have already embarked on carrying on regardless. I ask you with the greatest sincerity – is there no limit to the depths of despair and degrading behaviour that those in authority are hell-bent on descending, all in the desperate struggle to survive and maintain their questionable status? Where and when will it ever end, to allow our people to begin the long journey back to a climate of honesty, and dignity, and good governance, to fulfill our aims and ambitions? The answers are definitely blowing around in the wind of change, now sweeping throughout the Region. But Minister Bowen either forgot, or deliberately omitted to mention the other side of the same Gas and Oil issue that is also pending in the New York Court, in the U.S.A. In that case Grynberg and his Corporation have sued those same Russians and Bowen, for conspiracy to deprive the U.S. Company of the benefits of its successful Oil exploration in the Grenadian off-shore seas. Maybe the Minister also forget or chose not to remember, that the U.S. Government refused to grant him immunity from prosecution in that Case – because he is not the head of Government in Grenada; at least, not yet. It must follow, therefore, that if Government loses the Arbitration Case in London to RSM Corporation – then the conspiracy Claim in the U.S.A. is surely bound to succeed, and the compensation figure in that case is ($500M. U.S.) Five Hundred Million U.S. Dollars. But I suppose that is chicken feed for those Russians to pay Mr. Grynberg – because the Minister had long ago disclosed, that the Oil and Gas find in our offshore water was valued for over Two Hundred Billion dollars. So what is a mere Five Hundred Million in those circumstances? And I have not even mentioned the limit-less sums promised by those with all manner of exemptions already in place on the mainland – to make sure the progress continues. We had a good example in the Fond pasture in St. Patrick last Sunday. Money is no problem, any sum readily available, just for the asking. The stakes are very high – no question about that – and those prepared to pay up to protect their interests, are lining up. But because money is the root of all that is evil, and good is bound to triumph over evil in the long run – the longest day must come to an end some good day. By Lloyd Noel (Attorney-at-law) Inside Grenada Columnist