Concrete solutions in the social, economic and political spheres – are as important and necessary as defending and promoting the dignity and the fundamental rights of every human person. In trying to achieve the above, the words of those who take on the responsibility to provide that level of service must match their actions. It is all very well to say and repeat the right and nice sounding words and phrases when addressing people – whether in large crowds or small groups, and especially when trying to persuade them to elect you and your group to represent them to run the nations affairs. But it is quite something else, after having been elected and then holding the official positions – to be doing and or saying something different, or worse yet, saying nothing at all – or as the last P.M. put it “speaking in tongues”. People generally like going to political meetings because they like to hear certain speakers “talk”, as they put it; while others go to hear the message from the “horses’ mouth”, as they put it. But at the end of the day, when all is said and done, and the votes have been counted, and “Joe Blogs” and his group have triumphed over the “Tom, Dick and Harry” group – all the people expect the winners to put their “talk and nice sounding messages” into practice for the benefit of all the people from which-ever group. True enough – no one or group could please all the people all the time, when administering any public service anywhere; so it must be a straight case of doing one’s best in any given circumstances, and being ready, willing and able, to frankly and publicly explain whatever was done, or omitted to be done, to secure John Public’s confidence and maintain it as far as it is possible so to do. A good case in point, about not being able to please everybody, took place last week Monday – when a Tourist ship was due to dock in St. George’s with a fairly large number of Tourist.. The Ship’s Agent in Grenada , Geo. F. Huggins, had informed the Port Authority and The Ministry of Health - that a number of the crew members and passengers on board had symptoms of flu. The Medical officials in the Ministry, took the wise precautionary measure of refusing permission for the Ship to dock and for passengers or crew to come off. The Captain of the ship and its Management fully understood the position and co-operated with the Grenadian authorities, and left port. There were the usual local vendors waiting on shore to try and sell their goods of souvenirs and whatever else they had prepared for the Tourist passengers – but none came a shore because the Ship was not allowed to dock for good reason. The next morning, on a local radio station that specializes in anti – Government commentary – one or two of those dis-appointed Vendors were on the air complaining bitterly, about the lack of care and concern by those in Government for poor vendors who had no other means of earning a living – even though they knew why the ship was turned away. Later on the same day, or early the next day, the number of passengers and crew on the said Ship had increased so greatly with the same symptoms – that the Owners and Managers had to cancel the cruise in mid-stream, and hire planes from a neighbouring Island to take all the passengers back to the port from which they boarded the Ship. Had the ship been allowed to dock – and some of those same Vendors contracted the flu symptoms from passengers who would have come ashore – the hue and cry then would no doubt have been, that the Government officials were trying to get rid of opposition voters, so they can win the next Election for a second term. Far fetched – no way!! We have we own peculiar brand of Politics in these Caribbean Islands – and we in Grenada are second to none, when it comes down to very strange happenings and way-ward outlandish positions. Mind you, on very many occasions we often times have to stop and reflect – and think back every now and again, so as to get things in their correct order in our minds eye. A few weeks ago, when the P.M.’s trip to Mainland china was cancelled, and he explained that his Doctor had advised against the very long air flight because of his health at that time – many people were of the opinion that the reason for the cancellation was otherwise, and I reported then that I was stopped by some chaps who expressed concern for the view they held about the cancellation. Well about a week or so ago the trip did take place, and the news report was that about eight persons were on the State visit with the P.M. to Beijing, and a couple of the same group, as well as one or two persons from a very different background and who are close to the party in power – they were concerned about the size of the delegation to China, and the areas of responsibility and their relevance to the trip. I suppose that some would argue that if the Chinese were paying for the trip, then it did not matter how many were on board; I do not know who paid and that kind of info has not been publicised, so far as I know. But whether the trip was free or not, surely it must be far more important and relevant to be boosting confidence among our people in the various Constituencies here at home, than attending a State Banquet in Beijing at times like these. What was the trip intended to teach or convey to the Junior Minister of Sports, Youth Affairs and Culture, for example - how to better perform at Cricket, so that West Indies with a Grenadian player in the team would qualify for the 20-20 final next time around? or how to suppress College and Secondary School students, should they choose to protest against any form of oppression in the future – like as happened at Tiennen Square in Beijing, for the Twentieth anniversary of the massacre there all those years ago? Or to give lessons on Chinese Culture, so as to improve our Carnival Celebrations and Jab-Jab spectacle come Carnival Monday morning in August? Come on guys, get real. in fact, since the Carnival season was launched in early June, all else quiet while the Minister responsible off on a state visit to China . The weeks and months ahead are not going to get any better economically, by wishful thinking or waving some magic wand. The un-employment situation is already very tragic for thousands of families Island-wide, and come the end of secondary school education for over two thousand youngsters in early July – it will become even more so. The Tourism and Hotel Industry and the fate of workers in that sector – are at very serious cross-roads with no visible “green-light” to turn to. All these and those need urgent attention here at home, and discussion and dialogue, and taking those involved into the confidence of those in control and authority – must be the better way to go for shared responsibility. No one wins friends and influence others, by keeping every thing close to his/her chest as though everything is some big State secrete or security. Why it is our Leaders do not seem to be learning anything from the U.S.A. visionary Presidential Leader, Barrack Obama, beats my simple mind. He takes almost everything that affects or matters to his people to the public domain, for the people’s participation and consumption, because it is the people’s business. Why can’t we do likewise, so that the people will be in the know at every stage and can follow the process whether it goes up or down or sideways? There seems to be a void in the society somehow, and as if people are waiting with great expectancy for something positive to happen – to raise or boost their dozing morale. Some concerned citizens are even suggesting - that because of the absence or the quietness of those in authority in the villages and Towns around the Country, many of our mis-guided youngsters are mis-using the situation to mis-behave and are getting into serious trouble with the law. And as is so very well documented elsewhere, when idle hands and un-occupied minds are left un-attended for any length of time – evil forces will always find ways and means to make full use of them for the very wrong outcome. We are on the brink of the first anniversary that was supposed to herald a new era of changes in our public affairs; those changes have not materalised, so as many others are also advocating at this time – maybe the period is ready-made to make some changes in the composition of the team in control, so as to get some movement off the ground in crucial areas – to light a fire and create some heat in the place, to energise year two and beyond in preparation for the next phase. The hue and cry for change, and the furore that preceeded July Eight, 2008 – because the controllers then were considered to have outlived their usefulness, and were existing on borrowed time – that level and depth of radical transformation, demanded at the time because of the obvious shortfalls, are no longer available to the same extent to those in control. On the contrary, the Boot is on the other foot, and the defensive mechanisms would have to come from the other end. There are too many gaps in the visible happenings, and they are negatively impacting on the performance in the public arena. These must be corrected, and urgently, because once the damage has been done and the die cast – there is no turn around. We are facing some trying times ahead, and those in control have to show and demonstrate that they are on top of what is taking place, and that they have plans and policies in hand to deal with such times in the nation’s interest – rather than some pet ideological and ancient dream - that has long ago outlived its usefulness. By Lloyd Noel Inside Grenada News