Deputy Poltiical Leader of the Grenada United Labour Party (GULP), Reynold Benjamin has sent a letter to Britain's Queen Elizabeth to protest the partisan political role allegedly being played by both the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate.

Benjamin's letter pointed accusing fingers at both House Speaker, Lawrence Joseph and Senate President, Kenny Lalsingh. He claimed that the two high profile adjudicators in Parliament are serving on a committee established by the ruling New National Party (NNP) government to screen prospective candidates for the upcoming general elections.

Benjamin is warning that this development poses grave and serious dangers to the democratic and parliamentary system of government operating in Grenada.

Following is the full text of the letter:

Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth the Second
Buckingham Palace
London
England

Your Gracious Majesty, Queen of Grenada.

Re: Impropriety in the Parliament of Grenada

Greetings.

I am a citizen of Grenada. I reside in Grenada and practice at the Bar of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. I was called to the Bar as a member of the Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, London in Trinity Term, 1972.

I find it necessary to report to Your Majesty, our Constitutional Head of State, on troubling matters affecting the functioning of Your Majesty's Parliament of Grenada and the proper governance of our State.

I do so alert to Section 19 of The Constitution of Grenada which provides that the Governor-General of Grenada shall be Your Majesty's representative in Grenada.

I remain alert, also, to; (a) the provisions of Section 50 (1), 50(2) and 50(3), which provides for each House of Parliament to regulate its own procedure, and (b) the principles and conventions underpinning our constitutional framework.

Your Majesty is aware that Your Majesty's House of Representatives is presided over by Honourable Lawrence Joseph, a Barrister-at-Law, as Speaker; Your Majesty's Senate is presided over by Honourable Kenny Lalsingh, a businessman; Your Majesty's Government is led by Prime Minister Honourable Dr. Keith Claudius Mitchell, political leader of the New National Party and that Mr. Tillman Thomas, a Barrister-at-Law and political Leader of the National Democratic Congress, leads Your Majesty's Loyal Opposition.

As Your Majesty, also, is aware pursuant to Section 52(1) of the Constitution, the current parliamentary term will expire on  the 9th day of January, 2009 which is five years from the date of the first sitting of Parliament after the last General Elections.

General Elections were held on 27th November, 2003 and Parliament first sat on the 9th day of  January, 2004. Therefore, in accordance with Section 53(1) of the Constitution, General Elections must be held before the 9th day of April, 2009, within three months of Parliament standing dissolved.

The matter, on which I am taking liberty to report and on which I am craving Your Majesty's indulgence to listen and on which I am seeking your Majesty's intercession, concerns the appointment by the Political Leader of the NNP, Honourable Dr. Keith Claudius Mitchell, of both the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate as members of a committee of the New National Party.

The function of that committee is to screen and select NNP candidates for the upcoming General Elections. I am, reliably, informed that this committee met on 12th March, 2007. It comprised Honourable Gregory Bowen, member of the House of Representative for the Constituency of St. George South East, Speaker of the House of Representative Hon. Lawrence Joseph, President of the Senate Hon. Kenny Lalsingh and a Jamaican gentleman of whose name I am unaware.

The persons interviewed by the committee were Mr. Kennedy Roberts, Mr. Dwight Horsford and one other. Such conduct, on the part of Your Majesty's Presiding Officers, is unprecedented. It is behaviour guaranteed to undermine confidence in the impartiality of Your Majesty's Presiding Officers, subvert the functioning of our system of parliamentary democracy, stifle free debate in your Majesty's Parliament and give free rein to dictatorial practices under the guise of parliamentary democracy.

Surely, it cannot be by accident that such conduct is embarked upon. Neither is it through ignorance of the impartial nature of the offices of Speaker of the House and President of the Senate. The Speaker is learned in the Law and the Constitution. Both Officers have vast experience in Parliament.

The members of Your Majesty's Loyal Opposition have not shown themselves capable of dealing with this lethal attack upon our democracy.
Your Majesty's Governor-General has not demonstrated the will to protect our democracy and uphold and preserve the Constitution of Grenada.
It is my humble and respectful opinion that ultimate responsibility rests with Your Majesty. This letter is written with hope that Your Majesty will be moved to bring Your Majesty's wisdom and long experience to bear in what could be described as a mission to, once more, rescue democracy here in Grenada.

Your Majesty will recall that on a prior occasion when the people of Grenada perceived a similar threat to the democracy they employed extra constitutional means to deal with the problem. The outcome is well documented.

I close with an apology to Your Majesty for laying this matter before Your Majesty and I pray that Your Majesty and the Royal Family will enjoy good health and continuing happiness.

I remain,

Your loyal and humble servant,
Reynold C Benjamin
.....................................

Ps We humbly inform Your Majesty that the people of Grenada are being informed of this letter through the local media.

CC: Sir Daniel C. Williams GCMG, QC, Governor-General of Grenada

CC: British High Commissioner to Grenada
CC: Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, London, UK
CC: Secretary General of Commonwealth Association, London, UK