Over the
years, we have become accustomed to Grenada not only grabbing
regional but international attention.
After independence
in 1974, it was Sir Eric Matthew Gairy and his passion for Unidentified
Flying Objects (UFO'S) at the United Nations, and it was quickly
followed by the March13, 1979 Grenada Revolution, the execution
of marxist Prime Minister Maurice Bishop, four-and-a-half years
later and then the October 25, 1983 U.S-led military intervention
to restore democratic rule of law in the Spice Isle.
The country
is about to attract widespread attention with the recent decision
by the Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Dr.
Keith Mitchell to amend the Prisons Rules through the authority
of Statutory Rules and Orders No. 9 of 2006.
The effect
of the change is widespread and will impact on all persons serving
sentences at the Richmond Hill prison. The Prime Minister by
one stroke of the pen has repealed a number of prison rules
that made provisions for prisoners held by the State from obtaining
early release from custody.
This action
will undoubtedly attract the attention of Amnesty International
and other human rights groups and watchdog bodies.
GRENADA
TODAY is calling on all groups on the island especially the
Grenada Bar Association (GBA), Conference of Churches of Grenada
(CCG), Non-Governmental Organsiations (NGO's), the Grenada Trades
Union Council (GTUC), and the main political parties to pay
particular attention to this latest move by the Keith Mitchell-led
New National Party (NNP) government.
These changes
to the prison rules have caught the entire country not only
by total surprise but like a thief with an unsuspecting attack
in the middle of the night. There was no debate in the country
on the issue like the 5% income tax and as far as we know the
matter was never discussed in important quarters on the island.
The rules
that have been repealed were on the books for the past 35 years
or thereabouts and to the best of our knowledge no one had been
complaining about their existence. The Prime Minister ought
to offer some form of explanation to the nation about his rationale
for making this sweeping change to the prison rules.
The speculation
in the air is that the decision was influenced by the impending
release later this year of three of the revolutionary soldiers
- Andy Mitchell, Cosmos Richardson and Vincent Joseph - who
were given 30 years prison sentences for the 1983 execution
of Prime Minister Maurice Bishop at Fort Rupert in the bitter
leadership battle in the New Jewel Movement-led People's Revolutionary
Government (PRG).
We sincerely
hope that this is not the case. It can only be described as
a very foolish decision to punish the entire prison population
in order to keep three prisoners inside the jail.
This newspaper
views it as morally wrong and improper to change the rules just
to fry a few individuals who caused the nation pain 22 years
ago. Of the prison rules being repealed, the one which seems
to be attracting the most attention is the following:
"Every
prisoner sentenced to imprisonment whether by one sentence or
by consecutive sentences, for a period exceeding one month may
by good conduct and industry become eligible for discharge when
a portion of his sentence not exceeding one-third of the whole
sentence has yet to run:
Provided
that nothing in this rule shall authorise the reduction of any
period of imprisonment to a period less than thirty days".
It should be noted that the changes to the prison rules took
effect on February 2, 2006.
The concern
of many in our midst is how this will affect the members of
the one-feared "Scare Dem Crew" who were released
from prison four days later on February 6 - one day before the
celebrations of our independence.
It is fair
and proper for anyone to question the legality and authority
of the Commissioner of Prisons to release Junior "Joie-T"
and his brother "Yellows" who are involved in the
Gang. Would the Gang Members be picked up? How will that affect
the aunt of one of the two who is a senior member in the Mitchell
government?
There is
a school of thought flowing through the country that Prime Minister
Mitchell is trying to pave the way for the long-term imprisonment
of a number of his so-called political enemies by this change
in the prison rules
May we remind the Grenadian leader that the last government
which travelled along that road fell into its own pit.
The PRG of Maurice Bishop and Bernard Company created their
own court system and tried many Grenadians under it and sent
them up to Richmond Hill prison.
The table turned on them in October 1983 when the U.S-led military
action in Grenada brought an end to the short-lived marxist
experiment of these revolutionary leaders.
Coard and
company were arrested and charged for the murder of Bishop and
his associates and tried their best not to be tried by a judge
and jury under their own court on the grounds that it was unconstitutional.
They wanted
to be tried under the court recognised by the 1974 Independence
Constitution. It was alright for ordinary Grenadians to be refused
access to the British Privy Council under the PRG but the leaders
of the Grenada Revolution wanted to get a full hearing before
the Law Lords in England.
The table
might turn against Prime Minister Mitchell whenever the NNP
loses office in free and fair elections.The
incoming government would be forced to look into the possibility
of bringing charges of misbehaviour in pubic office against
the current holder of the Office of Prime Minister for a number
of questionable dealings.
The Call
Centre fiasco and the $US500, 000.00 Briefcase issue in Switzerland
will not go away that easily under a new government in Grenada.
