It cannot be repeated too often – that there is a responsibility on any Government to share with the people immediately a problem arises, the truth about that problem; so that the support of men and women of goodwill may be brought to bear through the simple process of understanding. There can be no denying – that public affairs go as badly as public indifference permits, or as well as public involvement demands. The business of the Government is the business of the people – so they must be told what is happening, why it is so happening, and at the end of the day how it in fact happened. People can only support what they know about, what they understand from the knowledge they have – and above all else, what they clearly see is in their interest as a people in general. They should not, and must not be expected to give blind support for secret deals, or hush-hush happenings they knew nothing about in advance. So much happened in the thirteen or so years before last year July, when things changed – or should I say when those who make things happen were changed – that it would take up a lot of time and space to go over the happenings. But the common theme running through them all was the secrecy, and under-cover deals, and behind the curtain passage of large sums of tainted payments for special favours and concessions – and of course those were never disclosed, neither before or after. The dramatic change on July eighth '08, that turn around the eight in control for the last five years over the seven in opposition – and replaced those figures with Eleven in charge and four in opposition – that level of dis-satisfaction, and the mandate for a new beginning on very different terms and conditions, cannot be over-looked and must not be squandered neither by negligence or careless omission to take the necessary action at all times. And in my humble opinion, the most necessary action at this stage of the political happenings – is to keep the people fully informed of what has been discovered in the Books, and records and other areas of Government activities – and having so informed the public, and in some cases get their feed back on how they see or view the information received, to go further and up-date them on the way forward to the next stage. Too many issues are left just hanging in the air, with no form of information or opportunity to dialogue with the people – in a kind of “Town Hall” atmosphere, to borrow from the Obama experiences. If those in control and authority want to keep the people committed to their promises of good governance, accountability and transparency – then they must take the people into their confidence, and share with them the pros and cons of what is taking place, or is expected so to be in their name. Nothing should be taken for granted, on the one hand, and on the other hand, when stories are published and mis-leading information come out of the other side as breaking news – there must be persons with authority fully briefed to answer and counteract the false-hoods and set the record straight. The opposition group is there to oppose as they see fit, and their method of so doing are all within their discretion. And even when they use paid lackeys to publish what may appears as utter nonsense to those who know better and who have the facts of the matter – the nonsense must be answered and the facts disclosed, because there are thousands out there who would swallow the rubbish and digest it as the real maccoy. Take the incident involving the chap who was dressed as a Policeman, in the group of performers that accompanied Calypso Monarch Scholar, when he did his rendition of “Madman” at the Dimarch Gras show on the Sunday night before Carnival. Many would have seen the real Police Inspector I think he was, detaining the chap on the night for questioning – on suspicion that he was in breach of the Law for wearing a police uniform in public without permission. Scholar had written an explanation of what had taken place about the question of permission involving the Commissioner of Police and the Prime Minister – and although the incident was badly handled in my opinion, those involved appeared to have accepted their error and the matter seemed to have been closed. Then on Wednesday last week I saw a letter published on Caribbean Net News website, and signed by one Pastor Winston Garraway – in which he was calling for the P.M’s resignation, because, according to the pastor’s very wrong statement of facts, or his malicious intent – the C.O.P. had refused permission to Scholar to use the Uniform, and the P.M. had illegally over-ruled the Commissioner and granted Scholar the permission. Those who had read Scholar’s account of what really took place – and his acceptance of the Police Inspector’s apology for acting without having ascertained the true position regarding the granting of permission by the relevant authority, they would have been in their correct frame of mind to dismiss Pastor Garraway’s account as malicious mumbo jumbo, and his obvious political bias because of his NNP connection and ever-ready intention to sacrifice his very calling as a man of the cloth, to keep on blaspheming for his supper. But the people who have not seen Scholar’s account and do not know the true facts, could very well swallow the Pastor’s hopeless dream of seeing the P.M. breaking all his many lifelong virtues of honesty, and integrity in public office, and deep regard for the rule of Law and the rights of everyone around him. While those in control do not have to answer every allegation or malicious statement made by the losers in opposition – there are situations affecting the body politic that must be addressed and the correct position made known to John public. And in so many cases in our particular brand of party politics –it is not always what is said or when it is said, but who is saying what and the topic and circumstances under which those statements are being made. Often times we hear the complaint or criticism, that our people have very short memories and they tend to forget what may have happened only last month. That state of affairs many times depend on what is being remembered, or conveniently being forgotten; and likewise, who are the persons concerned with the incident, or issues, or statement that need to be remembered or readily forgotten. But whatever the circumstances, and at whichever point in time – it can not be repeated too often, that those with the relevant information pertaining to the people’s business, must be always at the ready and on cue to pass on the same on every available opportunity. While we were in the midst of getting some serious warnings from the ex-deputy Leader of the last Government in office – that if the present Government did not pay for his Lawyer fees, in the New York case brought against him by Grynbery of RSM – our people could be lumbered with Court costs and Damages of over one point three five Billion Dollars in New York, should Grynberg obtain a default Judgment – my attention was drawn to a speech made by our Finance Minister at some meeting held here at home, in connection with Energy and the potential for our Economic development from that sector in the years ahead. Readers should no doubt recall the happenings surrounding the Grynberg/RSM/Gregory Bowen/NNP et al/ and the Russian nationals involvement in the whole fiasco surrounding our off-shore oil – that Bowen himself had boasted, while on a visit to New York during his term of office as Minister of Energy – that the value of the deposits discovered by Grynberg’s RSM was worth about Four Hundred Billion dollars. The confusion erupted after Grynberg’s Company had done the exploration and identified the deposits, and when he sought to get a contract to commence production, that was when he alleged that the NNP Minister had demanded a Bribe before granting the contract. It was later discovered that the Russian nationals had then entered the fray and advanced some two and a half Million dollars to the Government, or the then Minister, or whatever – hence the refusal to give the contract to Grynberg and his RSM Company. Against that background and the mellee that erupted since then – with Court case in New York and Arbitration Tribunal in London – I was not aware that any agreement had been finalised and signed by the then Government of NNP and any Company to mine for Oil in our off-shore waters. Then last week my attention was drawn to the statement by the Minister for Finance and Energy – in which he said - “The Ministry of Finance, along with the office of the Attorney General, and other legal advisors, is also working hard to arrive at more favourable arrangements in respect of the highly unfavourable oil exploration contracts entered into by the previous administration.” And since the interested party who brought the matter to my attention, has also been closely associated with the happenings surrounding our off-shore Oil deposits and some of the actors involved therein – he was as surprised as I was that there seemed to have been an Agreement in existence, of which terms and conditions the current Minister is endeavouring to secure more favourable returns for our people. Needless to say that such action and endeavours by the Minister for Finance and Energy are very welcome by all our people – because in the current recession and economic depression we are experiencing, with no other visible escape route anywhere on the financial horizon, such an agreement is the answer to our prayers. But again we must go back to base and ask the very relevant and Billions of Dollars question – why it is we have not been told about that Agreement in all this time, and why in this round-about manner? If there is such an agreement – why the secrecy about the other party and the terms and conditions? We seem now-a-days to hear as an after-thought about further or on-going discussion, with parties that were initially suspected of receiving highly suspicious concessions and special favours from the former regime. I hasten to warn those who are now in control – that if the deal was bad then, it does not become good because of the changed faces of those calling the tune, or some minor detail to make it look good. And above all else – if the people are not kept informed about where you are heading and how you plan to get there, then you should not expect them to endorse whatever method was used and simply accept the final outcome. By Lloyd Noel Inside Grenada News