For the past two decades I have been lamenting the unacceptable treatment of our returning nationals by their fellow Grenadians. Returning nationals in this context includes those who come to Grenada on vacation as well as those who are re-establishing residence. It behooves me to stress here that we all need each other… especially in these trying times. The recent incident in Grenada, which claimed the life of Mr. Oscar Bartholomew while in the hands of law enforcement, is unfortunate and must not be viewed as an isolated case. If it is, then we are once again missing the boat that is designed to take us out of the cesspool of ignorance. Those of us who choose to rise above the fray of negativity and ignorance should take pride and ought not to fail in upholding the responsibility of being our Sister’s and Brother’s keepers. What is the nature of a man who castigates his own? As progressive Grenadians we must recognize the critical value of each sector within the extended Grenadian family and ensure harmonized relationships. Complaints abound with regard to the distasteful treatment of our returning nationals. Studies throughout the entire Caribbean community validate the invaluable role that returning nationals play in the development of their respective countries. Whatever the reason may be - jealousy, envy, insecurity, apprehension, unproductive rivalry, ignorance or downright stupidity, the outrageous behaviour as evident in the Bartholomew case is intolerable; it is asinine. Given all the exposure in the Canadian media, CNN and the world-wide network in general, this would most definitely blemish our tourist industry. Isn’t it ironic that during the Christmas season – a time known for peace, love and goodwill – a time when we should be thanking our nationals abroad for their wire-transfers/money gram, barrels, loaded Christmas cards, gifts, and personal visits that saved an otherwise dry Christmas, we have those we entrust to ‘protect and serve’ demonstrate their inexcusable irreverence and ingratitude with criminal conduct. A clear message of intolerance must be sent to the RGPF that promises punishment to those who arbitrarily choose to abuse people. Mr. Bartholomew’s death is the straw that has broken the camel’s back. And the root cause, in my opinion, is a serious problem which permeates our society. With all the information at our disposal, we need to try to determine why returning nationals seem to be somewhat scorned and treated as second class tourists. We also need to determine why there seems to be a disparity in the treatment of returning nationals from North America in particular. We need to determine what may have added fuel to the existing fire of ignorance. And probably, more importantly, we must educate our people of the true value that expatriates bring to a needy economy. There is no more room under the rug and there is no more time on the proverbial clock. We need to open the doors of denial so that we can solve the problem. There must be a national consensus on a way forward. There must be an honest, broad-band approach to better educate the masses on this dilemma. This is a people-problem which calls for a people-solution. We constantly make reference to the Barbados example – where its citizens understand the importance of cordiality, brotherhood and ambassadorship and put it into practice. If we can so easily recognize it as successful, where are we in this general scheme of development? Why not Grenada? This does not call for rocket-science. We cannot continue to hide behind weak excuses. There is a simple solution that comes with love and respect for each other. Our Sons and Daughters abroad are truly our All-Season tourists and without their contribution our local economy would be greatly affected and our quality of life significantly compromised. This hopefully is a wake up call to stop the foolishness and put our house in order. Why the hostility? Why are we so angry? What has happened to the kind, gracious, hospitable Grenadians of yesteryear? It’s time Grenadians, that we step up and walk-the-walk before damage control is impossible. Ronald 'Pappy' Charles Any questions Mr. Charles can be contacted at 449-4666 or pappy_charles6@yahoo.com