As we went through Easter for yet another year – Christians Worldwide were out in their numbers no doubt, to celebrate the most important period in the callender of Christianity. However individuals may see the whole concept of religion as a whole, and more so how those who chose to follow Christ maybe expressing their belief in reality – the hard and cold facts remain always to remind us, that we cannot fool the Almighty and super natural being. So many tend to think, that because they achieve success in their everyday calling, trade, or profession, they become superior and untouchable – and they continue to live in a fool’s paradise for whatever length of time, until they are faced with the real life situations that will show them how mistaken and mis-guided they were, to have even harboured the thoughts that they could have fooled all the people for all times – and even that Omnipresent being in the process. And sadly, in that very mixed-up setting or calling known or recognised as politics and politicians – many, too many, of those who have succeeded in their chosen professions, where they have achieved the highest heights from their God-given talents and wisdom and brain-power, they move over or into that calling and make the most horrific and dis-tasteful mess of whole nations and people’s lives. And many of them profess to be Christians and that they are practicing Christianity. As mere mortals ourselves – those of us who write or comment about social justice are not qualified to judge others on their behaviour as Christians, or about their religion; that role is the province of the Superior Being. But in the area where the actions and omissions of those who chose to enter the field of politics, can be seen to have damaged the rights and interest of the very people they were elected and paid handsomely to serve; and by extension their acts and neglect have made a mockery of the laws of the very society they are supposed to be heading – then comments, and criticisms and condemnations, must be forthcoming and are very right and proper. Political or Economic power must never be used purely for selfish ends but in the service of the people, at national and international levels. No political system of Government, no new laws or sanctions can save us, unless there is a change of heart in the men and women who make up a Country – and especially those who present and offer themselves as Leaders in that Country. It is at personal, conscience levels that justice and love become incarnate and peace actively pursued. Against that background and set of standards detailed above, our people must try to see and understand the whole saga surrounding the Resteiner Brief Case issue involving the ex-prime Minister, Dr. Keith Mitchell, and where and how the new Government proceed from here on into the future. If there are no standards set for the people to follow, at any and all levels, then the society and the very people who live therein will flounder and perish. And further more, if those in control and authority are seen and recognised to have broken the very laws they enacted – and no actions are taken to let Justice take its due course – then those coming after the transgressors will do or attempt the same or worse acts of wrong-doing, in the fullest expectation of also getting away with it all. And no civilized, or democratic, or Christianity-oriented society could or should be allowed to proceed on that basis. The letter of the law, and the spirit of the Law, must be enforced at all times if we are ever going to build and maintain a just society. So if there was no Brief Case, with any sum of money, passed between Resteiner and Dr. Mitchell in Switzerland on that fateful day in 2000- as stated by the Doc and his female Ambassador in Brussels at the time – let that be established finally. But if there was a Brief Case with five hundred Thousands U.S. dollars, handed to the Doc in the lady Ambassador’s presence on the occasion – so let the truth be told and let Justice be seen to be done. So the empty noises of the young NNP Senator from St. David, who is concerned about the motion in the Upper House of Parliament – to appoint a joint committee of both House to investigate the actions and publicised short comings of those in the last Government that controlled our affairs – that motion is only intended to discover evidence to have his political leader sent to jail – he must be in possession of such evidence, or he is very clearly not a believer of the statement put forward by his political Leader about the $15,000..00 he had received and which was his “Dam Money” And the same contemptuous discharge must be accorded to other statements like that made by ex-senator Emlin Pierre – who with no shame, has been imploring the nine months old Government of P.M. Tilman Thomas to set examples, by cutting salaries and making other financial sacrifices to aid the economic depression, and the financial stimulus recently proposed by the new Government in control. Those cats must have had very short-lived memories that deserted them very soon after July 8th 2008. Both those Senators are new kids on the Block, when compared to their elder and more Seasoned Colleagues – who have been around for all of those thirteen years their party has been in control and mis-management of the economy and the Country. The Auditor General has recently laid the financial report for 2006/7 on the Table in Parliament – I wonder if they bothered to read it, or maybe they are too embarrassed at the extent and levels of un-explained millions that cannot be accounted for, and there are more to come in the months ahead. If some of those Millions could be traced and have them paid back into the Treasury – like is now happening in Antigua and Barbuda, where the former Bird administration had been engaged in all manner or racketeering with Foreign crooks and con-men – in very similar circumstances to what was happening in Grenada in those thirteen years, when our people and Country lost Millions in scam deals, on the one hand, and on the other hand, those in control and authority made their own under hand Millions which are stashed away in foreign accounts – that would be the best stimulus. What those two Senators – one is now out of office – and the other Senator Kennedy who is the NNP spokesperson on Finance and Economic affairs, do not seem to appreciate – is that if those Millions of dollars of Bubul deals are not investigated, and the truth be told so that some of those “hot monies” can be recovered and those responsible stand the consequences, the same rotten dealings would continue to raise their ugly heads among others in authority in the future – to the detriment of our people in general. We are here dealing with ordinary men and women, and many of them in control and authority for the first time, and temptation without unbridled Sanction always hanging over their heads, as a deterrent – could turn out to be much too much to resist, when what they are seeing as the norm, for those who once served in public office, are unlimited enrichment. The new Government has put its cards on the table, by firstly saying that some readily available cash are needed to get the economy moving in the right direction – by providing some jobs for those un-employed thousands of young and not so young people who are sitting around doing nothing, and very many of them have responsibility for even younger ones as their breadwinners. Some people definitely need immediate hand outs, to help survive the harsh reality of constantly rising food prices, and those should not be overlooked. But generally the stimulus must be geared to do two things up front. The very first must be to provide some forms of employment in different areas, to ease the hardship burdens that are widespread. The second level of attention – but just as important for the future maintenance of sustainability – must be geared to investment in special areas that will keep those involved occupied in some means of future short term production. Agriculture and small scale poultry and animal farming come readily to mind – and those must be accompanied by some measure of training in small business management and accountability. And the funds that would be invested in those areas could be provided on a small-interest-loan arrangement, so that as the same is repaid future loans can be further extended. And most importantly, the funds should not be handed out and the recipients left to do their own thing un-supervised. Persons should be employed to follow-up and keep in touch, to ensure the scheme of things are not abused or neglected, and the management of the projects remain in the vision of those in control – who must account to the people from time to time to ensure transparency. This aspect of the stimulus package is very necessary not only to help in getting us out of the depression as soon as possible, but in laying a more solid foundation to enable us to cope more speedily with future problems, on the one hand, but just as importantly to boost our general production in the struggle to grow and produce our needs and reduce our dependence on imports. There can be no doubt whatsoever – that we are spending far too much of our GDP on buying a whole lot of stuff that we can and should be producing here on home soil. And it is at times like these when we should be looking for and creating opportunities, to reverse that im-balance and set in motion the goal of self-sufficiency. The hallmark, or the theme running through the whole campaign for the last Election was change, and as a people we got that change. But that does not and cannot mean, that having changed those in control and authority and taking over the reins of power – that the task is over and now we can sit back and oversee business as usual, with the only other difference being new faces in place of the long-standing traditional ones. A whole lot of those old faces have to be changed, if the new controllers really want to change the system and the bad practices that have enslaved our people for over a dozen years. But in addition thereto, much more have to be changed so that we never again permit any group to bring us back from whence we came. Like the mis-guided Revolutionary concepts of the nineteen seventies – the old system and bad practices of self-enrichment at the people’s expense, must be wiped out and banished forever to make the change meaningful. And as we face the deepest and most widespread set of security arrangements in these usually very carefree areas of the East and Southern Islands of the Caribbean – for the hosting of the historical OAS Heads of Government meeting in Port-of-Spain – let us never forget that it is because the World is still very much at the risks and mercy of sick-minded people World-wide, that we have to go through the very heavy costs to make the gathering as safe as possible. Our Government is playing its small part and our Prime Minister will be there to represent us, along with colleagues of the Region who all have similarly vested interests. Let us wish them all well, as we welcome especially President Barrack Obama – who has brought a new lease of life and meaningful changes within our very grasps. His constant reminders that the World and its people need to change in many ways – are very forcefully emphasised by his now famous election theme of “YES WE CAN”. The T&T gathering is an ideal setting to put the words into action as a fitting stimulus. By Lloyd Noel (Attorney at law) INSIDE GRENADA NEWS