The world today, or the global village – as many like to refer to the Countries and States and land mass that people inhabit as their homelands and work places – has become so complex and confusing in so many ways that affect our daily lives, that it is very difficult to take or assume hard and fast positions on many ordinary issues. But in making decisions, or supporting one position as opposed to another – we must have hope and faith in what we support or believe, and always remember that life on the whole is not a bed of roses without thorns, or a straight and narrow road without corners and ups and downs. Hope and Trust can fall in step with all characters and moods – once we accept that some will remain calm and collected in any situation; Others will have a continuous battle against pessimism, while still others will find the guts and courage to rise above all thoughts of revenge and hatred against unjust opposition. But at the end of the day there is a Divine Providence looking after the World at all times, and guiding it to its final destiny. Many claim that they want progress but without change – and that is hardly possible. While others feel that they must destroy everything to bring about change – in order to make progress. That too is not necessary. When things are being done wrongly, or people are making decisions that are not achieving the best results, or the system of operation being followed on behalf of the people in any society, is not bringing them satisfaction as a group – then the time had come to bring about change, in the interest of the group and the people as a whole. And the first lesson to be learned from that need for change – is not to live in the past, but learn from it and move into the future. That movement is not as easy as it sounds – and in many cases, because of our mortal human weaknesses and reluctance to let go of the past and forgive, we tend to hang on to the dark past and refuse, or fail to see, the bright future light at the end of the tunnel. That attitude, or mentality, will not and cannot bring about the progress we all desire. So having changed the old order, and bad system, and negative thinkers and wrong-doers – we now have to undergo some internal and mental changes within us, to allow the desired vision to take roots, and develop and mature, to bring about the required changed times and better and richer lives we all need. That too, I admit, is easier said than done – but if we really want to move from where we were, to where we all want to go in the name of progress, then we have no option but to make the changes. In going about making those changes, however, we would get and must expect distractions, criticisms, opposition, and the worst types of accusations from those who committed all manner of wrong-doing in their times. But I recommend the answer given by the new COP Clarkson, when his detractors questioned or criticised action he took, or decisions he made – in the running and operation of the Police Force under his command in the wake of recent changes. Those actions and decisions are not victimisation, or witch-hunting, he said – but re-organisation, and setting the record straight to put the Police Service back on a professional and even keel, to bring about true justice and maintain un-tarnished law and order for one and all. And even those who committed all manner of atrocities during their reign at the top of the power-base, and treated the people who had put them there worst than slaves on their plantation - with no semblance of consultation, or even information and explanation afterwards, except more bramble and arrogance when the truth is revealed – they are the first ones to complain and find fault, when the new chaps in control appear to be going off track and doing their own thing. After the news broke last month, that the Prime Minister and a delegation had talks with the Prime Ministers of Trinidad and Tobago, St. Vincent and St. Lucia in Trinidad and Tobago – and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) had been signed by those four, as well as observers form Guyana and Barbados . I saw a statement by the new Leader of the Opposition in parliament Dr. Keith Mitchell – that while he could see merit and good sense in the get together in T&T, and the prospects for integration and Economic Unity among them – he felt that the people should have been consulted and given the opportunity to make their contribution and whatever other inputs they saw as necessary, beforehand. The MOU is no legally binding document on our Government, and the parties thereto had allowed themselves until the end of this year – to do all the behind-the-scene consulting and informing and clarifying their final positions – before entering any binding agreement, if any at all. But be all the foregoing as they may – the very week after the statement by Dr. Mitchell, the following publication appeared on the Internet (on 27th August) in “Trinidadexpress.com” – “About one year ago, Prime Minister Patrick Manning brought to his Cabinet a letter, signed by former Grenada Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell, seeking an association between that Country and Trinidad and Tobago, which, if accepted, would have made Grenada “a virtual Colony” of Trinidad and Tobago.” Grenada wanted free access to Trinidad and Tobago ’s education system, health system, transportation system, etc etc.” The publication added that the only thing that the letter didn’t speak of having access to was the Trinidad and Tobago Treasury, but that was an unspoken word for T&T in effect to be minding Grenada . A Former (T&T) Government Minister said that several Cabinet members felt that Mitchell was at the time looking for someone “to pay Grenada ’s bills” and was clearly “mamaguying” T&T. The Cabinet totally rejected the idea. And that is the same “Satanic Jonah” that is now trying to correct sin. As my liming friend would say – “Lord have his mercy”. I also saw Sandra Ferguson’s letter to the Prime Minister on the same subject of integration and Unity etc – and while I can see where she is coming from, I do think the warning is premature at this stage. I would caution, however, that the new team for change do not allow themselves to be used by T&T, or any other group, for their own selfish needs. The existing groups and regional organizations, already take up more than enough of our Leaders time in the region – and at the end of the day little or nothing ever come out of those many meetings and high level discussions. With so much on the new Leaders plate in St. George’s to sort out and attend with some urgency – they should not be joining the old Brigade in pushing their old agenda for their own personal purposes. The motto should be, tread slowly. News have been coming out piece-meal, about heavy demands by Hugh Wildman for compensation from the new regime, in connection with the natural end of his many contracts – (so-called) with the Keith Mitchell deposed administration. Apparently a much smaller sum was decided upon and he was left to take whatever legal action he saw fit to try and get the full hog. Only this time he would have to pay his Lawyers from his own funds, rather than the people’s Treasury. While writing this article on Saturday mid-day, I got the news that Wildman was detained at Point Salines Airport by the Police and brought to the CID in St. George’s for questioning. Maybe it was police officers from the very (F.I.U.) Financial Intelligence Unit, that he had mis-used on previous occasions to detain and harass citizens at his whim and fancy. I wonder how he is feeling now that he is getting a taste of--- “what goes around, now coming back around, and the evil that men do live on to haunt and torment them? My understanding is that the questioning concerns FIBG and Cap Bank. FIBG (the first Offshore Bank) was the financial scam headed by Van Brink (among his many names) and some other crooks – that the Mitchell Government allowed to come into Grenada with Millions of stolen dollars from American and Canadian Citizens – and later allowed to get out, when the FBI were on their heels in Grenada – and Wildman as DPP refused to let the law men from the U.S.A. investigate the scam in our land. Readers should recall, that when the Lawyer for Van Brink, Lawrence Jones from England, was in a High Court Case in London with his wife for alimony, a letter from him to Van Brink was produced in the Court as evidence of his high earnings. In that letter, which mentioned his fees, he also referred to “Wildman the DPP in Grenada ” who had been paid for preventing the FBI from carrying out any enquiry in Grenada – and whom he said was expensive but had the support and the confidence of the Grenada P.M. Dr. Mitchell. When the High Court Judge was summing up the evidence produced before him – he made particular mention of “Wildman the public official” whose unethical behaviour in accepting those big payments form Jones/Brink was tantamount to fraud in the execution of his official duties as a Law officer. This was all published in Grenada Today at the time, and neither Wildman, nor his Boss Keith Mitchell as P.M. and Minister of National Security at the time – ever tried to deny any part of the evidence from the English High Court. There is also a whole lot of legal hanky-panky in the Cap Bank fiasco – in which Wildman and the ex P.M. Keith Mitchell, as Minister of Finance, were deeply involved. So while thousands of Grenadians have lost or stand to lose Millions of their hard-earned dollars – Wildman has collected his very fat “suspect fees” and was on his way out of Grenada to go elsewhere and enjoy his spoils. He must be made a crucial example for his negligent and reckless behaviour – in the course of his highly paid duties as D.P.P and Legal Advisor to Cabinet – among his many other well paid portfolios. The ex-P.M. has began to pay of his wrong doing - in that the people decided that enough was enough and they voted to change the status quo – but he has a lot more to answer for and to divulge before we can really and truly begin the trek back to trust worthy and transparent governance in these Isles. And what is more, there are others still in situ who are also accountable, and were only too ready and willing to take part in the wrong doing that was taking place with their fullest knowledge - and no doubt to their benefit and financial gains. In the Ministry of Finance some serious cleansing must be undertaken and accomplished, before the financial ship of State can be seen and recognised, as being ready to face the many other hurdles ahead of us. In the meantime, I am still of the firm view – that the parties concerned with the Cap Bank operation over the years, and the new leaders in finance must get together to find a way out or around the impasse facing the depositors. The Court Case that has been pending for over eight or more years cannot solve the problem at this ninety-ninth hour. Any solution at that level had to be found eight years ago; and to add chaos to more confusion, the action by the then Minister of Finance in January this year – with the reckless advice of the same Wildman and aided and abetted by the Permanent Secretary in Finance – that action to appoint a Receiver, with no legal authority for so doing, more or less completed the legal melee that started Cap Bank in the first place. Damage control, and a reduction in the amount of damages that are increasing on a daily basis, must be the way to go in the interest of those unfortunate depositors. The only pity in all the suffering of those who had put their trust in the local Bank at the time – is that they cannot claim directly from those in the Government at the time, and the persons around them who aided and abetted the whole fiasco. Further afield in the U.S.A., we saw the history-making action by the Democratic party – to appoint an African American for the first time as a Presidential candidate for the up-coming November 4th Election. The people of that great nation are themselves crying out for change – because too many things have been going the wrong way for too long, and a halt is needed if they are to regain the World leadership position they have provided for years. I believe Barack Obama can provide the leadership drive, and with the very able support of his wise choice of V.P. in Senator Biden – I think they can bring about the needed change. Our prayers must go with them all the way to the white House in January, 2009 – because I am of the view, that the Caribbean as a whole would be a bigger beneficiary under a Democratic Government in Washington headed by Obama, then a Republican Government headed by Mc Cain in these times. We have had our change and the expectations are everywhere to be heard, and eagerly and anxiously anticipated. Some actions have been taken, but many crucial issues remain outstanding and awaiting urgent attention to move the process along. What has to be done must be done, so that as a people we can get on with the task of trying to re-build our damaged image and economy, and begin to set the record straight. By Lloyd Noel (Attorney-at-law) Inside Grenada News