Grenada Today - The National Newspaper of Grenada, Carriacou & Petite Martinique

Barrister-at-law Anslem Clouden is calling on the Keith Mitchell Administration to present before Parliament a complete Inventory of equipment and a final Audit of monies received by Grenada following the passage of Hurricane Ivan last September.

In an exclusive interview with GRENADA TODAY last Wednesday, the outspoken city lawyer voiced his concerns about the island's preparedness for the 2005 Hurricane season.

The Spice Isle was ravaged by Ivan nearly a year ago, destroying homes and a number of buildings designated as official hurricane shelters.

Nine months after Ivan swept through the island, about 75 percent of the damaged homes have not been repaired and the country is virtually without proper hurricane shelters.

Clouden said there is no clear shelter buildings in place where the population can be directed to go since most of them have been destroyed and not many have been rebuilt by the Mitchell government. "We are faulting in our preparedness for the season ahead", he told this newspaper.

The National Disaster Management Agency (NaDMA) has admitted that it is unable to meet the demands for shelters in the event of another major natural disaster.

Clouden also raised questions about the whereabouts of equipment such as chain saws, generators and lanterns that were sent to the island by friendly countries and donor agencies in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane. "A number of generators have found their way in the homes of Ministers and party supporters, and their friends' home", he said.

"I am calling on the Mitchell administration to produce an Inventory before Parliament of all the equipment that came in by way of Hurricane relief," he added. Clouden called for the generators and other equipment to be repossessed by the State from the homes of politicians and party activists of the ruling New National Party (NNP) government their friends and put in a storage depot or central location for use by the people.

He suggested that if Grenada is again struck by a hurricane, "we (would) not have to wait on the International Donor Community to send more equipment".
"We will have enough generators stockpiled for distribution for hospitals, police stations, medical centers throughout the island and other organisations", he remarked.

Clouden claimed that the Mitchell Government had received millions of dollars through the state-controlled Agency for Reconstruction and Development (ARD) in the form of hurricane relief. He said: "This Mitchell Administration is not accountable and is a stranger to transparency when dealing with public money."

"I am calling on this Government to put before the Parliament of this country, a fully completed audit of monies received so far and how these money are being spent." "The expenditure of these funds will escape the attention of the Director of Audit because it doesn't come under the constitution and therefore the Government is not accountable in that sense, but it is accountable to Parliament because (it) is the representative organ of the people."

Clouden warned that "if these things are not done, I will be travelling this summer to every capital to advise the donor countries and organisations to be very weary of allowing their hard earned taxpayers money to be sent to Grenada for relief assistance."

He chided the Mitchell government for demonstrating a lack of accountability and transparency in spending these monies. "....This money being spent...may ... well find its way in the wrong hands given the history of this administration," Clouden said.