Dear Sir:

Another political trickery is in the making again in Grenada. This time it is a small clique of Grenadians who reside abroad, with the help of some of their high ranking political colleague within the NDC government. This time around the story is published in media circles about a Grenada Diaspora Organisation, being formed with the intention whereby professional skilful Grenadians living in North America and United Kingdom, will help Grenada and Grenadians in whatever skills are lacking. Personally, as a Grenadian myself, I am very much concerned about the ulterior motive of this small group of Grenadians, knowing full well their past political culture that has not changed, and they are just trying to reorganise themselves under a different banner, but with the same attitude and intention.

Grenada is supposed to be a western style democracy, even though over the years leaders after leaders and government after government always tries to take away the people’s freedom and offering them other alternatives, that are in the interest of the politicians of the day. Unfortunately, this is not what true democracy means for the people who elected them to serve the nation and the masses in general.

This Diaspora Organisation reminds me of the early plot by a tiny few, who stole the Grenada revolution from the people, and when they were questioned by others who observed their trickery, they became very dictatorial and repressive, and started jailing citizens left, right and centre, without any regard for human rights. Therefore, it is very important for Grenadians to start questioning the motives of that Diaspora Organisation and the type of people involved with it.

Now the big question is, why Foreign Minister Peter David is asking parliament to give the Diaspora Organisation the green light to function as a Grenadian overseer’s institution, and expected it to be tied to his ministry, and at the same time, to serve the interest of Grenadians back home? And what makes the issue looks fishy; the Grenadian people were not asked by the NDC government to vote on a referendum on whether or not they are approving of such organisation. Peter David is not suggesting a referendum on the topic, whereby the masses’ opinion is final.

However, if parliament recognises this Diaspora Organisation and the values and functions its members stand for, it will be disrespect for democracy and the will of the people. Therefore, in the future, other government ministers will try to do the same thing as Mr David, and force his/her political ambition down the throat of the masses in a society that is supposed to be democratic . With this kind of new boldfaced and shameless type of political culture in the making, it is getting frightening that local citizens who are the masses, opinion won’t be respected.

Additionally, if the so-called Diaspora Organisation's top leaders such as Jerry Edwin and Bernard Bourne want to contribute to the political process within Grenadian society, they should be advised by Foreign Minister Peter David to go back to Grenada and fight for the reinstatement of local government, in order that they can get the opportunity to run for mayor of towns. And if they are successful in the democratic process, they can work in the interest of the people who elected them.

Presently, there is no need for some of our politicians to make themselves parasitical leaders, and want to survive like parasitical trees that grow and feed on other trees and old concrete walls with a bit of soil and moisture. It is immoral for a group of political opportunist s to use the democratic institution to create a dictatorship. The democratic process should not be used as a host for parasites. Grenadians must demand democracy, rather than give it away to a small group of people who think they have all the political and social answers for the country.

Basically, the way in which Grenada is being governed presently, there is a potential strong foundation for new dictatorship and repression. In the early months after the NDC formed the new government, they created a police institution to clamp down on young people’s activities, by claiming that some youthful citizens are too deviant and the things these young people are involved in are too immoral for Grenadian society. So with a strong hand police institution and now a Diaspora Organisation in the making, it seems as though Grenadians’ freedom will be limited, and they will be forced to take command from a small clique of people with a political agenda that is alien and oppressive.

In conclusion, those of us who know some of the players within this Diaspora Organisation must not sit idly by, and allow them to take away our democratic rights and freedom. Especially, as most of us know full well that they are just trying to disguise their ambition, and pretending as though they are citizens of good concern, rather a small group of Grenadians who function as a secret society, and their main goal is to exempt the masses of people from that secrecy.

Sometimes I wonder if these educated people within that organisation have common sense, or if they are just a bunch of dreamers with a fundamentalist ideas, and lack the ability to respect the masses of Grenadians, who want to build their future on democracy. I wonder if the Diaspora Organisation's top members with so much university qualification behind their name cannot count numbers, and if they don’t know that the will of the people must be respected, and adult citizens of voting age must have the right to elect leaders of their choice to serve their interest, rather than some political leaders and members of interest groups want the people to serve them by force through dictatorship.

Hudson George
Toronto, Ontario
Canada


Reprinted from Caribbean Net News