I recall when the US led military intervention occurred on October 25, 1983, there were reports of a plan in place to install a group of anti-PRG elements who formed themselves outside of Grenada (Barbados, Trinidad, America, among others) during the Maurice Bishop Revolution and had designs on assuming power in the event of the failure of the revolution.

This was not to be as the US forces found out when they came to Grenada. Sir Paul Scoon, Governor General "of, in and around" the State of Grenada was the sole authority regardless of his representation of the Queen of England who, mind you, is still our Head of State.

You see, despite our status as an Independent State (on paper), but in reality a bunch of independent thieves (looters) for the most part, taking our cue from free-loaders who pose as politicians in power especially since 1995, we are still a member of the Commonwealth retaining the Royal Head of Great Britain as our ultimate head.

The plan for a post revolution government had to be redrawn. We must give the US credit for steering the process in a manner which would appear to be acceptable to most, if not all Grenadians who, as we can understand were rebounding from the catastrophe of October 19, 1983.

Acceptable names like Alister Mc Intyre (who was not at the time Knighted), Nicholas Brathwaite - a senior technocrat of the Commonwealth Youth Programme based in Guyana, Alan Kirton, a senior Permanent Secretary within the Government services of Jamaica, our own Dr. Patrick Emmanuel - then a lecturer at the University of the West Indies, Dr. James DeVere Pitt - longstanding local educator, Mrs. Joan Purcell and others of good repute for the most part were put forward.

It should be noted that all of them were accepted by the US as coming from Sir Paul Scoon - who moved quickly to save Grenada from the lawlessness which could have abounded in the absence of adequate leadership - as we saw in the early aftermath of Ivan and still continuing in Grenada.

No one in Grenada could remember Alister Mc Intyre ever serving his country in a local context and then moving onto greater things. But what we all can say is that, like Lord Pitt - the first negro man to be ever elevated to the British House of Lords - Alister Mc Intyre was born for a greater purpose - i.e. to serve the entire region.

He is of a vintage who contributed to the international respect Grenada enjoyed in our years prior to Independence of 1974. This is not to say that the remnants of this prominence were not enjoyed up to at least 1983. But surely, one had no choice but to notice the diminishing of such regional and international prominence with the crash of the Revolution.

It seemed to be down hill after that on our steady march to "hell in a hand basket". We have to understand one thing: sometimes a country is too small to be an adequate platform for the true potential of certain individuals. Lord Pitt and Sir Alister Mc Intyre are two such individuals of whom, such can be said. A lot of us may not have known and in our ignorance ran our mouths when Lord Pitt was buried in Grenada at his request.

He was a great man who was very friendly with Nelson Mandela of South Africa in the height of the apartheid era. When Mandela's African National Congress (ANC) was outlawed in South Africa and all over the world where administrations sympathetic to the apartheid regime followed suit to pressure the closure of every and any office of the ANC, history records Lord Pitt as standing firm and giving the ANC a home in his London Office which was eventually firebombed.

For the role he played on the international stage, we ought to have footed the bill willingly for his State funeral which he received, at the annoyance of our ignorance. Thank God the British Government footed that bill through our national government at the time headed by Nicholas Brathwaite - the last bastion of decency in political leadership in and over Grenada.

All of this background is provided so that we can appreciate the value of having people of character like Sir Alister Mc Intyre around us in our time of greatest need.

Of course, elements like Keith Mitchell and his band of brigands whom ignorance allows many of us to tolerate at the leadership level of our country could never step in the shoes of these people.
As a means of trying with special zeal to look good, they tend to co-opt such individuals to participate in activities so as to provide window-dressing.

Sir Alister failed us in the early days after the crash of the Revolution when he cited health reasons (real or imagined) for his decision to turn down the invitation to head the Paul Scoon appointed Advisory Council (Interim Administration). This left Nicholas Brathwaite, second in command with no other choice but to accept the appointment and rise to Interim Prime Minister, as it were.

Everybody should know that Sir Alister Mc Intyre is every Grenadian to the point where he is one of the brothers of Mr. Dunbar Mc Intyre - former Chairman/CEO Republic Bank of Trinidad & Tobago, and Mrs. Joy Cherman - mother to the Cherman Brothers who own and operate The Coyaba Beach Resort.

Everybody knows that people with sense keep very far from the Mitchell administration and the Chermans' are of that ilk. Wouldn't it be logical to deduce that "Uncle" Alister may have been forewarned by caring relatives before taking up any appointment under Keith Mitchell - who has brought nothing but dark clouds over the office of Prime Minister during the last ten years?

I am sure, in as much as he (Sir Alister) may have been minded to refuse the appointment to head the Agency for Reconstruction and Development (ARD), he would have recalled failing Grenada once before, hence the reason for his ready acceptance to serve at this critical juncture in our needs.

Little did he know that there would be interference as Keith Mitchell knows nothing about leaving anything to function on its own as it must serve his personal agenda. It is my understanding that Grenada's former Ambassador to the OAS - Dr. Dessima Williams - solid Grenadian who is most certainly a patriot - was Sir Alister's choice to head up the Education component of ARD, only to discover that someone else was appointed (and not by him - but by the interferer).

This must annoy anyone far less a man of Sir Alister's stature. I hope this is not true, but if it is - this shows you the true nature of the "inferior little boy" and confirms no doubt to Sir Alister his more than probable suspicion that he was ONLY window dressing in the first place.

You see, Dr. Dessima Williams got the ambassador job in Washington from the PRG that he, Keith Mitchell is alleged to have asked Bishop and Company. May be the same Mitchell should clear the air on his relationship in the early days of the Revo with Bishop and Bernard Coard.

Is it true that you, Keith Mitchell asked to serve as Ambassador in Washington but was asked to return home and serve in the Ministry of Education? I am sure people that if Bernard coad does not want to break his silence on the issue then people like Sen. Chester Humphrey and even Hon. Peter David might be able to shed some more light on this allegation.

What would be unfortunate about this entire development, is our inability to know for a fact the truth about Sir Alister's reason for not having returned to Grenada since after Christmas. A man of his reputation and character ought to stand up and confirm to the world his experience with the Mitchell government.

We need to know so that the world at large can understand the true nature of the man who has a reputation for always interfering in each and everything especially where money is concerned. By the way, I was told a joke by a friend recently who came in contact with a woman who said: "When Keith dead, they should bury him in a big, big hole - big enough to hold three coffins. Keith will be in the coffin in the middle and the other two on either side of him - full with all his money - because he likes money too damn much!" I hope that this probing column does not cause Sir Alister to rethink his decision just to prove me wrong, as in the fullness of time truth reveals itself, and I have nothing to lose.

There are those close to him who will know the truth and would have no choice but to respect me for my insights, regardless, because I would have penned the truth. Everybody cannot be jailed or killed for standing up for what is right and proper, and what Grenada needs now more than ever, is more people standing up.

Based on the achievements of Sir Alister over the years on the larger stage, he ought not compromise himself to attempt to use health as any reason for his decision not to return. Speak up so the world could know that the Agency for Reconstruction and Development is yet another ploy of NNP to fool the world to donate generously so that monies could be absorbed by the culture of t'iefing once more.

The Multi-Partite Committee and the Sustainable Development Council were two such ploys to make Grenada look good to qualify for European Union and other international organisations which demanded good governance before they deliver money to any developing country making such request. Keith Mitchell is indeed transparent!