However the Grand Beach Resort saga plays out in the long run, and whatever the consequences resulting therefrom in the short and mid term – the lessons coming out of the whole episode should be a learning exercise for our public officials for a very long time down the road. There can be no doubt that the disclosures concerning that transaction – have opened a whole host of strange dealings that were not all above board. And while so many persons, both for and against what is known thus far, are expressing very strong feelings about the whole matter – it would take some serious investigation to un-earth the true position. What was clearly known, from the time the document purporting to convey the people’s property on Grand Anse Beach to the Time Bourke Holdings Company, came into my possession – was that there were two transactions in progress and proceeding side by side. The one concerned the purchase of the Leasehold of the Grand Beach Resort – for whatever number of years remaining in that Lease for the lands and the buildings thereon. That transaction was between the Company (Time Bourke Holdings Ltd) and Issa Nicholas (G’da) Limited for the sum of ($41, Millions U.S.) Forty-one Millions U.S. dollars. The other transaction was between the Government of Grenada (NNP at the time) and the said Time Bourke Holdings Company – recently incorporated in Grenada but whose Head office is located in the B.V.I. And that transaction was for the sale of the Freehold Estate of the Twenty point Four Acres of the people’s lands. According to the Deed of Conveyance, those Twenty point Four Acres were valued for ($15 Millions U.S. ) Fifteen Millions U.S. Dollars; but the Company which was purchasing the lands, was not paying any money to the Treasury – instead, Mr. Lewis Hamilton was going to promote Grenada as a Tourist resort, with his photo and signature etc. That Deed of Conveyance for the Freehold was always subject to the Leasehold owned by Issa Nicholas (G’da) Ltd. of the Buildings and the un-expired term in the Lease of 1997 or thereabouts. I have since discovered, that the said Deed of Conveyance was Recorded in the Deeds and Lands Registry of Grenada on the 3rd of October. But last Friday I was informed by a press release from Issa Nicholas (G’da) Ltd that the deal for the sale of the Leasehold to Time Bourke Holdings (G’da) Ltd had fallen through, and the Trinidad Company continues to own the Leasehold. My further information was that the persons representing the Purchasing Company – two Lawyers and an Agent/Advisor – laid down a number of pointers they wanted cleared up by The Leasehold Vendor. But when those were satisfactorily cleared, The Purchasers representatives simply said that a member of the Board of Trustees in the U.K. or wherever – did not approve of the purchase and they were not proceeding. The next day those representatives came back and offered to buy the said Leasehold for substantially less than was originally agreed. The Vendor rejected that offer. Now that the Freehold Sale Conveyance has been recorded – so that Time Bourke Holdings (G’da) Lt. on the record owns the Lands – the question arises --,to whom has the Issa Nicholas (G’da) Ltd. Leaseholder to pay the ($250,000.00) Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollars yearly rent when it becomes due – Government of Grenada or The Time Bourke Holdings (G’da) Ltd. Company? Many other very relevant Legal issues and questions come to mind – but I will leave them for the Attorney General and the Minister concerned to answer and resolve. Many, many, Grenadians have been calling me to express their opinions and some have actually gone public with their concerns. The ex-P.M., George Brizan, has been particularly incensed by the whole very suspect affair, and so has Miss Sandra Ferguson who was very vocal in the Port St. Louis affair. Mr. Brizan is convinced that the value put on that very special patrimonial estate – is way below what it should be, as land prices are going in the area now-a-days. He feels it should be well over Eighty Million E.C.C. dollars, as opposed to the Forty-one Million E.C.C. dollars quoted in the said Deed for $15 Million U.S. If it is – that the transaction between Mr. Lewis Hamilton and Issa Nicholas (G’da) Ltd. collapsed on Thursday 9th October – for whatever reason – whereas the Deed of Conveyance for the Freehold sale was Recorded in the Registry on Friday 3rd October – then the question begs itself ---what game is being played? The Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, (the ex. P.M. who was involved in both transactions as Minister of Finance and Government Leader) was very vocal and emphatic, that once Lewis Hamilton saw my article of September 30th On Caribbean Net News, he would have nothing more to do with Grenada and any investment. He must have had more inside information than anyone else, from his vantage position – so we have to accept his prediction. But the further question is screaming out for an answer. If all the foregoing was known by the 1st October – why was the Deed of Conveyance recorded in the Registry on Friday 3rd October, 2008? Because as the position now stands, Issa Nicholas (G’da) Ltd. still owns the Leasehold of the lands and the Buildings thereon, while Time Bourke Holdings (G’da) Ltd. is supposed to own the Freehold of the said lands – and the people of Grenada own nothing in that most valuable property, and those Grenadian people received nothing in exchange. The business of the people must be made known to them, by those whose duties and responsibilities are paid for by the people to keep them informed and account for their stewardship. In this imperfect world-setting we live in – the expected level of transparency and accountability never seem to be forthcoming. Those in control of the reins of power do their own thing, as it were, and only tell the people what they feel like telling and when they please themselves. But even in these tiny isles that make up our mini-state, we have seen it happen time and time again – that the wrong-doings behind closed doors and in the dark, nearly always come to light and in the open arena for one and all to see. We are sometimes too impatient and want everything to happen yesterday, as it were; but life and human affairs in general never seem to work out that way. That Almighty and merciful Being, wherever He sits – never gives us more burdens than He knows we can carry. Time is the greatest healer. This Grand Beach Resort and the Grand Anse lands involved in the whole saga – carry very important issues about the people’s property. Some persons are making statements without having read the full account, and merely mouthing what they may have heard from the T/V reports – which many times are taken out of context. I wish to caution all and sundry, that if we are going to truly benefit from the changes we voted for last July eighth – we have to be consistent in our approach at all levels of our public affairs. Rights and wrongs do not change their meanings because of who is doing whatever; and hurry-hurry and emotional responses are never in the best interest of sound reasoning and continuous transparency. So many things have been tampered with or channeled on the wrong course – that care and vigilance must be employed when looking at them, before making decisions. Quick-fix solutions can never stand the test of time, and doing or saying things that may look good on the spur of the moment – will not necessarily stand up to scrutiny later on. Against that background, the best course of action must be to tread lightly, check thoroughly before making statements, and above all else – say it as you see it and do not try to disguise it. Remember always – you cannot fool the people all the time, you may get away with one or two issues at the outset, but as time goes on the true situation will always come to the surface. It is always much better to be safe than to be sorry. (The above article represents the views/opinions of the writer and not necessarily those of the Inside Grenada Staff). By Lloyd Noel Inside Grenada News