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HOME	AUGUST 28th, 2005

By Max Sterling.......

It is with deep sadness that I learn of the untimely passing of Mr. Derek Allard, President of the Bank and General Workers' Union (BGWU) and President of the Grenada Trades Union Council (GTUC), umbrella movement for trade unions on the island. We all know that we walk daily on the tracks of death and therefore we must never forget to stand for something so that our legacy could be rich and lasting.

Mr. Allard has championed the cause of the working class since the establishment of the BGWU in the 70's together with the late Vincent Noel who led a successful struggle against Barclays Bank. I was much younger than all of them, but being as conscious as I was since a tender age, I am able to recall the actual struggle which helped to give rise to the climax of Gairy's apparent absolute reign in and over Grenada.

This only indicates the TREMENDOUS power the labour movement can have against those engaged in despotism. I plan to go into a little more details in paying tribute to this stalwart in a subsequent episode as my contribution to keeping his memory alive. My profound sympathies to his dear family, relatives and close friends. Now let us move on to something which is dear to me in context of my consistency with the struggle against nastiness in and over Grenada as sponsored by individuals who never had it so good and continue to let loose their demonic forces over our docile majority.

I am of the opinion that when one wants to be the public spokesman on behalf of anything, anybody, group, organisation, institution or committee, one needs to make darn sure that he/she is above/beyond reproach. But as we can easily agree, it takes a certain kind to hire a certain kind to be his spokesman.

You tell me which of the scenarios better fits Terrence Forrester, who presents himself as the lead attack dog for Keith Mitchell administration. Do you think he was appropriately chosen? A "pot hound" would never be able to understand and appreciate many things about moral and principled-centered leadership.

Believe it or not, there are many "Parmasas" in the waiting to BRING DOWN THE HOUSE. It is a pity that subpoenas are not enforceable in the case of this "pappy show" inquiry. Surely the first recipient would have been the man who is at the centre of the allegation - Keith Claudius Mitchell! I am surprised that Terry Forrester knows the word subpoena as I always thought a simple mind like his would be more apt to know one-syllable less complicated words - like, "house", "pants", "full", "run", and "t'ief", for instance!

The Cheltenham inquiry has not proved itself to be serious and bears all the markings of, according to David Marchant, himself, "a crude attempt at vindicating its subject". Seeing Terrence Forrester on television some time ago demanding that the Inquiry subpoena both Eddie Frederick and David Marchant was nothing but a big joke in itself.

I am not satisfied that we will see the end of Mitchell through this inquiry, at all as his end is predetermined to be a more colourful bang. I may be one of the few individuals who can afford on account of privilege to believe Timothy Bass' sworn detailed affidavit when he stated clearly and boldly (I dare say), the US$500,000 transaction was audio and video taped by him, Resteiner's former security chief.

I recall saying when I launched this column back in February of 2000 through this medium that Keith Mitchell reminds me of "Janus at the gates of Rome". He had no choice but to admit that he did visit Resteiner in Switzerland in an interview with David Marchant in their telephone discussion when he (Marchant) attempted to clarify the matter before he published the now famous article of April 30th, 2004 in his electronic newsletter - KYC News/Offshore Alert.

Mention was made to Mitchell of Bass' sworn affidavit which included the serious information that "the transaction was audio and video taped by him, who gave details of the transaction. . . ." It is only natural that fear of the unknown caused Mitchell to behave in a particular way (and rightly so) owning up to having received a substantial sum, and after some probing he mentioned "approximately US$12-14,000", and later in the same conversation definitely under US$20,000. Marchant, himself said so on Frederick's radio programme when he was interviewed by Frederick back in June of 2004. If Mr. Toppin of Hubbards, Mr. Rawle Charles of Huggins, and Mr. Lloyd Benjamin of Geest were still alive, they surely would have been kicking themselves to see that the person involved in the early 70's in the Shipping Agents saga has contributed to Grenada becoming a place of nastiness now a-days.

When that man was caught with his hand in the cookie jar of the Grenada Shipping Agents then, he also claimed that the sum was approximately $7,000 when it was later discovered that the sum in question was nearer $11,000. Evidence of this is readily available. David Marchant never told Keith Mitchell that he had a copy of the tape. Ignorance of whether or not he had it, caused Mitchell to comply with Mrachant's line of questioning, thus putting the "pot hound's" chief in utter disgrace.

No one in Grenada ever claimed to have had a copy of the tape. I (may) know someone who (may) have viewed it at an officious office in the US in the presence of many AGENTS. According to Mr. Bass' sworn affidavit which can be downloaded free of charge from KYC News' web-site at :- http://www.kycnews.com/Documents/Timothy_Bass_Affidavit.pdf:

"The video clearly depicted RESTEINER opening the briefcase and displaying the money to MITCHELL. RESTEINER closed the briefcase and MITCHELL took possession of the briefcase. I then placed the video cassette tape into RESTEINER's office safe." The logical conclusion here is that Resteiner retained possession of the tape for perceived protection should his relationship with Dr. Mitchell ever sour - as he seems to know the man he was dealing with.

The front page photograph that was published some time in June of 2004 in the Grenada Today of Marchant handing over "a video tape" to Eddie Frederick did not contain a caption stating that this was the tape of Dr. Mitchell receiving US$500,000 in cash from international fraudster Resteiner.

Essentially, readers, including the "pot hound" and his other stray-dog cohorts were invited to read into the photograph whatever they wanted to read into it. Obviously, they all who know their leader/chief WELL, chose to assume the worst which befits his track record dating back to his early 70's.

Since Mitchell has publicly admitted to the people of Grenada in a national address that he received a substantial amount of cash from Mr. Resteiner, it is largely irrelevant whether there is still in existence a tape of the act or not because it is something that is not in dispute as all that is in dispute is how much he received and the reason why it was paid.

Mitchell has already gone on record as saying that the $15,000 he received was as reimbursement for expenses that he incurred when promoting the interests of Grenada overseas and that he had the receipts to prove it. Of course there are many who do one believe him because they know that "when a dog sucking egg is a bad t'ing". Interestingly, he has not yet publicly produced these receipts.

It is inconceivable to me, according to Marchant, that an innocent man who had evidence that would help to clear his name would not produce it to the Commission of Inquiry or to the public at large. It is also inconceivable to me that an innocent man would not jump at the chance to testify before the Commission of Inquiry in an attempt to demonstrate his innocence.

While his "Pot Hound" might think it is proper for a Prime Minister to receive such "a massive" amount of cash at the home of an international fraudster and then not account for his behavior, I doubt that anyone more impartial would agree. Regarding Mr. Forrester's calls for subpoenas to be issued against Frederick and Mr. Marchant, he is displaying an ignorance of world affairs by making such a silly statement, according to Marchant in his immediate response to Forrester's "chupid" utterances.

We must recall that Forrester is the same man who once published in our local newspapers that he was a diplomat once. May God Help Grenada with all these "stray dogs" in control. I cannot ever recall Eddie Frederick portraying himself consciously or otherwise as perfect.

All I know about him is that he is intolerant of t'iefing, peeing on the side of the road, allowing activities of the gutter to rise up to become the norm in our community, and other such abnormalities which he objected to publicly. I do not recall Frederick opening any business with the expressed purpose of swindling people.

To begin with his wife is not known to be greedy and covetous while posing as a born again Christian and living large off the proceeds of t'iefing. Grenadians can be darn sure they will never have any recollection of Eddie Frederick being in the company of Zig Ziegler, Van Brink, and hiring a "criminal lawyer" and former Drug Lord posing as his lawyer, etc., etc., etc.

Could you imagine these pot hounds talking about a plot to defame Mitchell? How is it possible to defame someone who to go into the home of an international crook and conman as Commissioner Richard Cheltenham of Barbados described Resteiner. The people of Grenada did not send Mitchell to Restiner - he went there by himself with two security persons and the famous female ambassador in Brussels.

The trauma our Grenadian people have been put through is that of allowing stray dogs and pot hounds to hold positions of authority over them. The only people who have been placed in a position of trauma through the creative expose of the Louis Vuitton Briefcase-with the "approximately US$15, 000" or "$500,000" in it, is Mitchell, himself, and all his close cohorts who are afraid that their end is near. People with sense in Grenada would tell you when they saw the photograph on the front page of the Grenada Today - captioned "Look at it!" they had a good laugh.

The "man had been nervous for as long as he believed that Eddie Frederick of all persons had possession of that video cassette. If it caused trauma to those who had something to be traumatized about, Eddie Frederick achieved his objective and thank God for it.

The truth is, no one really knows the day or time and the medium through which this video will eventually surface. With all the rigmarole going on with this kangaroo looking inquiry, I am convinced that this is not the time for the tape to surface. All in the fullness of time! So - "pot hound" - not so fast! You and your stray dog cohorts ain't start to howl yet!