Editorial

Oh how Prime Minister Dr. Keith Claudius Mitchell continues to amuse this small nation of ours that is called Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique.

The Prime Minister was at his best just over a week ago when he appeared on "To the Point" radio programme with Josephine Mc Guire of the Grenada Broadcasting Network.

What a pity that a real journalist was not hosting the programme to ask Dr. Mitchell some real and serious questions about his stewardship of this country since he first came into office in mid-1995.

No one can deny that a lot of money has been spent by the New National Party (NNP) government on infrastructure especially roads. But the question remains have we really gotten Value for Money from the large sums that were spent? The Mitchell administration has amassed a massive debt taking the national debt from the relatively small figure of EC$373 million dollars in 1995 to over EC$1.5 billion in just eleven years of rule.

And a lot of questions are being asked about the strength of the road network that have been build over the past decade by the government favoured company known as CCC that gets practically all the road contracts.

It has been noted that no sooner that CCC completes one of the contracts, it is given another contract in short time to rebuild another of the roads that it might have completed three years earlier. Is this real development and progress?

The Prime Minister made the startling disclosure that those persons whom he sees as "enemies" should better watch out since they run the risk of feeling his full weight and pressure.

The warning is that no one would be allowed by Dr. Mitchell to come between he and this country, otherwise they would have to deal with the entire population of 100-110, 000 people living on this little piece of rock.

This is the boast from a leader who is really in charge of virtually a minority government given the results of the last general elections in November 2003. The Prime Minister has conveniently forgotten that most Grenadians voted against he and the NNP and sent a strong and serious message that they really wanted change.

Dr. Mitchell and the NNP and not his so-called detractors are the ones really responsible for most of the shame and scandal that have befallen this nation in the past decade. It is rather interesting to hear the Prime Minister openly admitting that his government made mistakes but not being specific about any of them. Well Sir, please enlighten us about these mistakes.

The people are left to guess what exactly are these mistakes. Is it your courtship with Viktor Kozeny who is known in the international crime world as the Pirate of Prague? Where is Kozeny now? Is he still in jail?

Is our Prime Minister talking about the "mistake" to drive 5 hours inside Switzerland in June 2000 to a place called St. Moritz and to get caught up with the now infamous "Briefcase" scandal with another international crook known as Eric Resteiner? Where are Resteiner and the "Briefcase" Tape?

What about the NNP's open door invitation and policy that allowed the likes of Van Brink and company to defraud U.S and Canadian investors of unknown millions of dollars in the offshore banking industry in the 90's?

It was this same dirty money that helped to bankroll the NNP in the 1999 general election when it won its historic 15-0 victory against the opposition parties. The offshore banking policy of the NNP was correct in the eyes of Dr. Mitchell and his ministers as long as the coffers of the Treasury were being filled.

This offshore banking policy must also be put alongside the sale of Grenadian passports to all and sundry including some of the most well known international conmen and pirates. However, there was a price to be paid and Grenadians soon felt it as Canada put on the squeeze and quickly moved to slap an entry visa requirement on all Grenadians wanting to travel to that North American country.

Today, as the economic squeeze continues to stifle Grenadians the Canadian doors and borders are no longer open to them as before so they could make quick trips and pick up jobs to earn a few dollars more to send back to struggling family members. The Keith Mitchell legacy is already written. He cannot and would not be remembered and admired like Sir Eric Matthew Gairy or Maurice Bishop - the two most charismatic leaders to hold the Office of Prime Minister.

He would not also be placed alongside Herbert Blaize, Sir Nicholas Brathwaite, and Ben Jones for their integrity and honesty in public office.
The Keith Mitchell legacy is one of being in charge of the most corrupt government to have ended up in public office in Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique.