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

LAW AND POLITICS

BY LLOYD NOEL.

It was said by a famous Prime Minister about his country, and I firmly believe it is equally applicable to our Tri-Island State of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique - that we cannot develop our people and country, unless and until we learn to demand the highest levels of integrity and dignity from those occupying positions of trust and national leadership.

I fully accept and subscribe to the basic principle, that charity, like respect and good manners, must begin at home and further fertilised and cultivated at school. And that is so, because within those places we are faced with and under the supervision and control of people who care for us, and who are concerned about our upbringing and development, as well-rounded and valuable members of the society we must live in.

An even more fulfilling and ever lasting source of moral and spiritual food for life - for those who have the faith and genuinely believe in the Almighty and Omnipotent Saviour - is to be found through our Religious persuasions, in the Church Communities and Spiritual Organisations we are members of - regardless of which denomination we may belong to. The means towards the end is not as important, in my view, as eventually achieving the necessary salvation we are striving for. Having identified those institutions and places of, and responsible for, providing our moral, spiritual, principled and holistic human growth and development - this is not to say, that within those expectedly sound and above reproach places of required excellence, things do not go wrong, and the human beings who are supposed to provide the best for those under their care, do not mess up and fall short at times. They most certainly do.

In fact, in more recent times (say the last 30-40 years period), the falling short and disgraceful letting-down, by so many at the highest authority, have become so prevalent and highly embarrassing, that I am sure many lesser mortals are seriously questioning their reliance, for sound and moral guidance and example, on those places and institutions where the leadership have for decades been expected to be above reproach.

Now, strangely as it may sound at first glance, as the huge and technologically developed wider world, has over the decades become a seemingly diminished group of mere villages - accessible for sound and vision, by the simple pressing of a button or flicking of a switch on a so-called "remote" - the new-fangled phenomenon of politics, and politicians by extension, have somehow infiltrated those hallowed places, and halls of superb standards of moral and spiritual excellence, and integrity and humility and dignity among trusted leaders.

Some may even argue, that the grossly over-rated materialistic world, and the never-ending urge or greed for more and more luxuries, and the power that makes the desires more easily attainable - have all contributed towards reducing the standards we once cherished and took for granted. It is against the foregoing background, and the grim and gloomy reality now facing us squarely in these isles, and the region in general for that matter, that I viewed with disgust what transpired among our politicians - in our highest national institution called Parliament, during what was supposed to be the Budget Debate at the Trade Centre cum Parliament Building last week. And the saddest part was that it was on T.V for the public viewing. If it was radio alone, the bitter facial expressions, and the almost visible venom would have been hidden from our view.

The Budget Debate was supposed to be about the Estimates for Revenue and Expenditure for the year 2006, and in that context it would not be unreasonable to hear members referring to last year's budget, or the year before, or even to the over-all fiscal and financial situation of the government's performance, since the last general elections in November 2003. And because this year's budget was over-shadowed by the burning issue of the 5% (NRL) " Levy cum Income Tax" - then it was expected that the whole spectrum of the nation's economy would be on display; and quite rightly so, in my view.

And I must hasten to add, that quite a few of the participants did adhere to the expected standard and usual requirements. But on the final day of rebuttal by the Government - when the Minister responsible for Finance should have been winding up the debate, and putting the various views, and expressions of consent or dissent, as the case may be, into context - the Prime Minister chose to deliver the closing remarks in place of the Minister for Finance, as is his right if so desired.

But instead of closing the debate, by responding to the various points and statements and suggestions by the Opposition M.P.s - the Prime Minister chose instead to use the Hon. House as a brango platform to ridicule the Opposition, left, right and centre. Not only was the Prime Minister's language quite unbecoming for the Leader of our Nation - inside the Institution where Law and Order, and the highest standards of good manners and decency should be displayed - but his facial expressions, and the venom and bitterness in his tone of voice were frightening, to say the least.

From what I heard in the Debate, before the Prime Minister's explosion, his performance was quite unnecessary; and I hope he will take the time to look and listen to that display, and in the interest of sound Nation building - apologise to the Members in the Hon. House, and the Nation as a whole. To do otherwise, would be a very poor example to those Youths - who gather yearly to perform in the Mock Parliament at the same venue. The control of the proceedings, by the Speaker of the House, also left a whole lot to be desired. He was under a duty and serious responsibility, to warn the Prime Minister to temper his language and maintain the expected decorum of our hallowed Institution.

Instead of so doing, the few members of the public present at that disgraceful performance inside the House - were seen and heard to be clapping, and I cannot recall one occasion when the Speaker used his authority to stop the grossly out of place behaviour. When one recalls the standards set and maintained by our own Sir Curtis Strachan, who was recognised throughout the Commonwealth of Nations as the Speaker par Excellence, the poor showing by the current Speaker brought the whole proceedings and the Institution into disrepute. And there was absolutely no need to go down that road, by either the Prime Minister or the Speaker.

The Budget Debate is available on the Internet, so there was a golden opportunity to list in detail - all the things the same Prime Minister has been saying his Government has done over the years, and they have done plenty. And with the Speaker behaving as he is supposed to behave, the region and the world-at-large would have been seeing and hearing about an administration that had made a big difference - despite its many other short-comings - and that would have conveyed a far more creditable impression, than the force ripe (NRL) Levy cum Income Tax that has divided the Nation.

On the wider front, although some have been saying that the (CSM) Caribbean Single Market came into force on the first January, we now know that the Six Nations that had completed their legalities to bring the CSM into operation - viz. Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Belize and Suriname - their Leaders met in Jamaica on Monday 30th January, to in fact commence or implement the new regime. At the same time, the OECS Leaders were also expected to make an appearance, to show their zeal and commitment to join up later this year.

But while all the above are ongoing, a whole host of bits and pieces, and many large chunks of policy decisions and financial arrangements, are still hanging in midair - almost waiting on miracles to bring them into existence. As for the (CCJ) Caribbean Court of Justice that was inaugurated since April last year, they had no work to do on the CSME because that was non-existent - and the only country that could have used the Court's Appellate services was Barbados, who did send two cases I believe to the court in Port-of-Spain.

But for all the fanfare surrounding the buildup, the operations, or lack of it, has been very low key. And now the CSM is on stream, to ignite the Court's original Jurisdiction, those Eight or Nine Judges still do not have much work to do with only Six States in the System. If that state of affairs make us as a region ready - for the integration or union that is needed or envisaged - then I would hate to see when we are not ready yet.

And as for those OECS late comers, that seem to be pledging to get on board by March Thirty-first or thereabouts, their Leaders and Governments are still very quiet about the full impact of the scheme on their people. Even among themselves, the conditions and operational structure of the Regional Development Fund (RDF) - that has been created to assist those smaller states - are still very much up in the air, and therefore they may very well be joining the pack amidst dark clouds as to how they will ever be able to compete with the bigger guys.

And in our case in Grenada especially, the climate in the Political/Industrial arena is far from settled - as the mediation exercise has left more questions hanging in mid-air than solutions provided. And as for the Business Community, from where the initiative must come to propel the engine for investment to be able to compete in the new Single Market - their organisation (G.C.I.C.) was again treated with scant regard by the powers-that-be, from the reports making the rounds.

As things stand since Budget day, while not discounting some useful damage repair from the Upper House (Senate), the Government has a lot of Public Relations work on its hands to get things back on the dialogue and discussion table. Politics is about people, and the image presented, as well as the impressions formed and the results achieved, go a long way towards convincing others on the outside, that what they are being told is what in fact exists.

And goodness knows, that in this crucial year with so much at stake for all concerned - there is a lot of convincing to do. In the Commission of Inquiry saga, about the "Briefcase" and U.S. Dollars that Resteiner allegedly handed the Prime Minister in Switzerland, the High Court ruled last week Thursday, that it does have Jurisdiction to decide whether or not the Leader of the Opposition should be granted audience before the Commission.

The matter is now scheduled to be heard in February. While we wait anxiously on further breaking news on any front, I wish to remind our Leaders of the wise words from a famous Caribbean Prime Minister. He said .... "all members of a Government (and that includes the Opposition) must proceed with manifest integrity and humility. If integrity (and dignity) is suspect, a call for sacrifice will evoke mockery; where there is no humility, attempts at communicating will arouse resentment".