Whether one is living in the U.S.A. or in any Island in the Caribbean, and whether the news program being looked at is on CNN or any newscast in the Islands - the pictures and the reality are the same bad news, in that the economic hardships are rampant everywhere. And for those families in the Islands who have relatives and breadwinners in the U.S.A. the hardships and the pressures are doubled. Not only are thousands un-employed in our land, but the help they were used to from the United States and the U.K. and Canada to a lesser degree – those have diminished and in many cases dried up, because the un-employment figures in the U.S.A. especially have risen to staggering proportions and destined to get even worse before they begin to improve and get better. And the financial plague is so widespread, that even the little pittance our people had in the local Capital Bank has vanished with no hope of being recovered. While those who gambled in the off-shore high interest rate scheme with SGL Holding, they too took a beating. The Clico financial group seem to be settling down and on the way to recovery – so long as there is no serious run on withdrawals. The financial crisis is so widespread, that as one depositor observed – in a discussion about what to do with his Savings in these times – it is much better to avoid the worries and pressures, and hold onto what you have already worked for, and not put it in any Bank or other Group offering interest on those Savings. A Case of going back to the (good) old days. The collapse of so many financial institutions, that not too long ago seemed rock solid in their policy operations and management decisions, and in such short space of time – that trend is creating very wide spread distrust and serious loss of confidence in those Executive and high powered Bosses in such institutions. Some hanky-panky must be taking place somewhere in those operations, and it seems to many people that the powers-that-be, with responsibility to the public at large and the maintenance of law and order in every society – they should be far more vigilant with their investigations of those operations with a view to bringing criminal charges where the evidence so reveal. In the World’s largest capitalist society, the Government of the day in Washington D.C. was able to go to the People’s representatives in Congress and the Senate, and get approval to Bail out all and sundry and even help the little people whose homes are at stake and or have lost their jobs. In Trinidad next door, the Government was also able to step in to help protect Investors in CLICO – but in our case here at home, and in the State of our Treasury and credit balances, our Government cannot think about going down that road to help those CAP BANK depositors, for example. But the idea floated by the Finance Ministers to amend the National Insurance Scheme Law – to transfer about Twenty Million Dollars (E..C.C.) ($20,000,000.00) into a Fund to assist persons who have lost their jobs already, and those who will follow soon as the Economic crisis digs deeper in the months ahead – that idea seems to me to make very good sense in the given circumstances now prevailing. Un-employment benefit is nothing novel and is no different from sickness benefit in my view, and even if it means increasing the contributions by workers and Employers by two or three percent – it is worthwhile. All sorts of checks and balances and limits can be built into an un-employment scheme to help workers who have or will lose their jobs. And while it is bad enough to have finished school, or some training programme in any field – and not being able to find a job for some considerable time.. It is a whole lot worse off, to have been employed and taken on the usual daily credit commitments, and the even greater responsibility for caring and providing for children – and then losing the job that brings in the means to do so. I have heard the Leader of the major Trade Union (TAWU) expressing the point of view that he opposes the idea from the Minister – and putting forward the argument, that he prefers to make sure there is sufficient funds in the NIS kitty, to pay his pension benefits when he retires at Sixty or Sixty-five. I will be very surprised if his Union members share the same view point – because a lot of them may well lose their jobs in the current recession, and will not be able to find another in the short term – so unless the Union is able to provide them with financial benefits, to be able to buy the basic necessities for healthy living – they may never come near to receiving any Pension down the road. And as we think deeper about the Minister’s idea and its far-reaching consequences – let us never forget, that as the workers wages dry up with the on-set of un-employment, if some stop-gap measures are not forthcoming like un-employment benefit for whatever period – the loss of revenue on sales in the shops and for daily services, can have even greater effects on the Economy as a whole. And once that begin to spread it would be to the detriment of a much wider cross-section of the population – including those who still have a job. For the Minister responsible for Finance, and the Government whose mandate it is to look after the interest of the people, and where and when possible to anticipate problems and take concrete steps to stall or minimise them before they befall the people – should they refrain from utilizing the very people’s funds, to help the very same people in times of their greatest needs, that would be gross irresponsibility indeed almost bordering on Criminal negligence. The plight of a whole lot of people, up and down the Country and in the towns and Country-sides, is not getting and cannot get any better – unless some urgent measures are put in place by the powers-that-be and put there urgently. We all can remember how the last Government mis-used NIS funds in all sorts of crazy schemes over the years – the time has now come to demonstrate to the people how their monies should be used for their benefit, and the good and welfare of their families as a whole. I trust therefore, that the Trade Union members would prevail on their Leader – to see the economic sense in the proposal, to enable them to survive these hard financial times, that they may live long enough to get some pension benefits later on down the road of life. And more importantly, that the Minister and his Government would not shirk their solemn duty and grave responsibility, to come to the aid of the people in their time of greatest need. As compared to the Minister for Finance proposal, to aid the people in these times and thus help to stabilize the economy for the much harder times down the road – I saw and heard the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Hon. Peter David, in a debate on “watch dog” on channel 6 with Mr. Andrew Bierzinski – in which he was trying to justify the Government’s decision to rename the Point Salines Airport after the late Maurice Bishop – and I must say he fell very far short of convincing many doubters that the proposal had any merit. But before going into the pros and cons of the proposal, as put forward by the said Minister, the fact that he was there defending the decision – just as he was the person making the announcement to the World at large – again raises the questions posed by Mr. George Brizan in his letter to the Editor of Grenada Today on the same topic last week. The issue is of such major significance to our people, and the very history that the Foreign Minister was stressing on, that it leaves far more un-answered questions as to why that Minister, rather than the Prime Minister of Grenada as the person making all the pronouncements on the matter. The trend of events surrounding the re-naming of the Airport, is leaving the distinct impression to John Public that the powers-that-be are operating under different agendas – depending on which issue is in the public domain. I am sounding the Bells of Caution, as well as a wake-up call to those decision makers – to stop a-while and re-think such hurried action before it gets too late. From the feed back I am getting outside the Cabinet room – you guys, and by extension the people of Grenada , have a lot more to lose than you can ever gain. The Minister was saying, we should not be re-opening any debate about the Revolution – but simply accept that Bishop was the person who started the Airport Construction as the Prime Minister, and from that premise he deserves the honour to have that outstanding development named after him. Unless the Minister really did not know, or he is going through a phase to help him bring about a convenient loss of memory - I wish to remind him that even while the take-over of the True Blue Barracks was in progress, Cuban Boats were just outside Grenada waters with Equipment to begin excavation at the Point Salines site. And two or three days after March 13th 1979 – those boats were in St.. George’s with men ready to start work. To be true to history, as the Minister was at pains to point out - the name should include “Fidel” somewhere in between – and that is precisely why he went to Cuba to make the announcement. The more I think about this crazy decision, and stop to recall the hardships our people are facing from a World-wide recession we cannot even begin to tackle – is the more I am getting the sickening feeling, that those chaps have recklessly positioned their priorities upside down, and have either forgotten the people’s cry for change in meaningful areas, or abandoned their pledge to bring about good governance. Which ever it is, or maybe, I sincerely hope that good sense and mature thinking would eventually prevail – to stop this suicidal political move before it becomes a reality. By Lloyd Noel INSIDE GRENADA NEWS