EDITORIAL

"Whether the politics of justice or the justice of politics, the imprisonment of Trinidad & Tobago"s former PM Basdeo Panday is telling. A clear message across the Caribbean to political leaders was sent: the arms of justice are long.

Those who enjoy the privilege of serving country may end up serving justice-time, if they arrogantly ignore the folkloric wisdom that reaping is a direct consequence of sowing. The Almighty eventually deals with the mighty!

Political leaders consumed by the exigencies of the moment and obsessed with the next elections may trade personal integrity for moral indiscretions. Ultimately, they become casualties of their own wrong-doings.

A note from Mr. Panday"s experience suggests that uncurbed ambitions, calculated misdeeds, and good intentions gone sour, equal the demise of public trust, family embarrassment and sometimes, the death of political careers. Politics is more deadly than forgiving".

The above statement was made by Dr. Isaac Newton, an Antiguan who is recognised as an International Leadership and Change Management Consultant.

The demise of Panday has serious lessons for some of our own politicians in Grenada who have come to see the Spice Isle as their own little "Real Estate" and a place to fatten their coffers and to live good for the rest of their lives.

Over the years, we have seen many politicians come into office with little assets and on demitting office become giants in the real estate business with handsome bank accounts outside of the country. GRENADA TODAY expect a similar fate that befell Panday to happen on this very island at the right time.

There has been a number of questionable deals and actions involving some in high leadership positions in the ruling New National Party (NNP) government that calls for forensic investigation by persons of competence and intelligence. There remains the vexing question of that $1.5 million Finder"s Fee that was paid out to someone for the original sporting stadium at Queen"s Park, St. George's.

Allegations also swirl about in connection with thousands of other dollars paid out by those involved in the stadium project to certain named government officials in the form of kick-backs.

The nation is already aware of the Switzerland Briefcase incident in which Prime Minister Mitchell is under investigation for allegedly accepting a bribe of US$500, 000.00 from an international con-man, Eric Resteiner in exchange for a diplomatic position with government.
It is our hope that a new administration in St. George's would torpedo the Cheltenham Commission of Inquiry and instead ask the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) to investigate the matter.

The State must be allowed to make the necessary representation to the relevant authorities in the U.S to question Resteiner who is currently locked up in an American jail on what actually took place in St. Moritz, Switzerland in June 2000 with the Grenadian leader.

A new government in St. George"s would have to look into the true ownership of a number of real estate properties on the island in which some underlings in the NNP are suspected to be fronting for some in senior leadership positions.

This makes a mockery of the practice of declaring assets to the Governor-General on assuming office and on exiting office. The FBI will also have to be called in to try and get at the bottom of the collapsed First International Bank of Grenada (FIBG) fiasco and the millions that were pumped into the NNP coffers for the 1999 general elections.

The collapsed Call Centre project at the Seamoon Industrial Park in St. Andrew"s is yet another scheme that is crying out for a serious forensic probe. The sale of Grenadian passports to all Tom, Dick and Harry and to many questionable figures like Viktor Kozeny (The Pirate of Prague), Van Brink and Eric Resteiner among others should be fully investigated once there is regime change in St. George's.

There is deep suspicion that some in our midst used the sale of these passports to enrich themselves at the expense of the unsuspecting public. The people need to know whether the proceeds from the sale of these passports were used by certain people with connections in the right places to build hotels, malls, guest houses, car parks, etc, etc. This country is sitting on a time bomb, just waiting to explode because the poor is getting poorer each and every passing day while a new minority is living the good life style due to the wielding of power.

It is time for the ship to stop sailing on this dangerous course because Grenada in the end will become very ungovernable - whether by NNP and Mitchell or the National Democratic Congress (NDC). Corruption can do untold damages to the physique of a people for generations to come.