By Max Sterling

The big question on everyone's mind is: "Will Grenada be ready to meet its side of the bargain to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007?"

The ranting and raving over the collapse of the stadium during the passage of Hurricane Ivan of September 7, 2004 is all but subsided. We have to remember that apart from the International Airport, this project was the most expensive ever to be undertaken by a sitting administration in a post-independence context.

We cannot forget the several "nasty" rumours which abounded in context of the amount of "bubbul" and corruption which were alleged to have been encouraged by the NNP administration before, during and even after its construction. What we do know as a fact is that we were given an inferior package of two stadia - one for cricket and the other for soccer and athletics with a very gigantic bill at the end and did not even have the common sense to insure the facilities against the elements of natural disasters, etc.

Hurricane Ivan came and dashed the hopes and dreams of Mitchell's Kleptocracy that:-(1). Grenada was out of the hurricane belt; and (2) The finished product was of any worthy standard to last any time befitting the mega dollars spent on such a project.

To many thinking people in Grenada, it took Ivan to expose the inadequacies and shortchanging we heard rumours of regarding the inferior quality of work done to transform Queen's Park into something keith most certainly would like to have his name on as part of his legacy in Grenada after his impending catastrophic exit from power.

It was heartening to learn that the main opposition party had concrete plans to liquidate the massive debt which was amassed to build these unnecessary facilities had they won the last general election. Let us face it, the facilities are limited to non-existent ancillary support for any serious regional or international activity which will certainly attract many visitors to our shores.

This indicates to us that there was absolutely no need to have hung our hats where our hands could not reach and not over extend ourselves to this extent. But you see, finders' fees had to be accommodated and all the other jobs-for-the-boys and what have you had to be integral to this State project as a means of helping NNP and the Kleptocracy to parry themselves and appear to be doing so much.

One would have thought that such a mega project would have benefitted the national economy in a fair and balanced manner instead of benefiting only the few supporters of the parasitic oligarchy. Was there any legitimate tendering process to supply the project with anything - be it lumber, cement, or other raw materials?

If this had been done there would have been a win/win situation for our country - in that the project would have been supplied with the best materials at the best price thus controlling the cost of its construction. So many rumours abound regarding what was expected of the handpicked suppliers of lumber, cement, haulage, customs brokerage, and other services to the project, that the end product was bound to cost a lot of money while compromising its quality.

The many people who were involved in shortchanging our nation on this project and any other during the last eleven years of NNP and the Kleptocracy, must pay for their bad deeds committed against the unsuspecting ordinary tax payers.

The time is going to come when they will be seen to be dwindling in demeanour, stature, status and even in material acquisitions. Do not wonder what is wrong, instead, pray for them that their suffering would not be too long and drawn out. I am sure as day that their prosperity will be short-lived.

The law of reciprocity has dealt with many such individuals in our past who, notwithstanding how much they had, ended with zero with others having to pitch in to assist in giving them a decent burial. I am glad to see that the People's Republic of China (Mainland China) has come to the rescue of an administration which not too long before was washing up its mouth on them calling them communists and human rights abusers and murderers.

They even went as far as to deport (unceremoniously) their diplomatic officials and acrobatic team forthwith. But old people say, "what is to be will be" and "if you have patience, you will see ants' belly"! Don't be too surprised at the negative impact of Mitchell's Kleptocracy's delay in meeting its side of the bargain to clean up the site of the disheveled, inferior constructed stadium after Ivan.

I am sure the anxieties which surround the stadium's reconstruction in time for Cricket World Cup 2007 would not have been, had they did what they were supposed to do. Here again, Little Black would have shown up his ineptitude and penchant for mismanagement. It is said: that which you focus on the longest becomes the strongest.

If per say, you are known to be a man whose focus is on siphoning as much as 90 cents from every dollar of other people's money for yourself, when faced with a crisis of untold proportions, you will show up yourself to be not able at all. Could this be Little Black's problem?

That is one of the reasons why I would not doubt Trinidad's Newsday article captioned: Green Package on TT's Way. This article has forced Mitchell, himself to come out in denial that there is any truth to its contents. But guess what! We have been trained over the years not to believe a word this "character" says since he has been known to treat our nation with contempt by spouting nothing but ole talk every time he opens his mouth - whether on radio or television.

If per chance he eventually comes out and tells us that we tried but are unable to meet the required ICC Cricket World Cup standard and timing for the completion of our stadium, do not be surprised if he tries to throw the blame on the Chinese - as that is the nature of this individual who is the same one capable of "gutter sniping" as he does in our Parliament.

He has no respect for anyone! Look at how he treated his Taiwanese friends who were known to bankroll several things for his party and government! So China beware! Blame could come your way from Mitchell and his left hand crew.

We have to recall that the Chinese promised several low cost houses for the dispossessed as a result of Ivan, but the stadium was more important to Little Black when he was given the ultimatum to choose between the two as priority. His idea of the generosity pledged by China was for them to start at the same time so that he could take out of the number of the houses from China and play politics with it.

But China is smarter than that and would like to do one thing at a time so that they can do each thing they set out to do properly to the total benefit of the recipient.

While I am at it, I am convinced that the decision to change over to The People's Republic of China (Mainland China) was a wise decision (though ill-conceived by Mitchell) since they will never get involved in writing any cheque to an individual in any political party to pay off her house debt as a condition for her to run in an election.

Mainland China is more conscious than that as they consider the plight of their 1.3 billion people in every decision they make. The administration in Mainland China (PRC) engages people and not parties in power, as their renegade province has been known to do as a matter of course.

One example of this was their decision to invite a high level opposition delegation to Beijing soon after taking up residence in Grenada. What if we end up losing the 2007 Cricket package to Trinidad, in truth? The stadium would not have served the purpose of bringing in much needed revenues to our country's coffers, rendering the Little Boy's" priorities dysfunctional to have placed the probably 2000 low cost houses pledged by China on the back burner.

But that is the nature of the beast - retribution or the law of reciprocity has a strange way of manifesting itself. The more I think of Little Black and the Kleptocracy is the louder the banging of the jail door becomes. I can hear the jail door banging - all in the fullness of time!

Opinions expressed in Columns are those of the authors