Editorial

It is only the ruling New National Party (NNP) government of Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Mitchell that is claiming "success" in the staging of matches in the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup.

A vast majority of the people on the island who were made to believe that "heaven would fall from the sky" and their coffers filled beyond capacity with money for a very long time were left badly disappointed.

GRENADA TODAY refer to the farmers, the landlords in the Home Stay programme, the "small man" who vends for a living, and the taxi-drivers especially those were really expectant from the anticipated arrivals of cruise passengers during the hosting of games.

And even before a ball was bowled on the new playing surface at the rebuilt cricket stadium at Queen's Park with funding from Mainland China, Prime Minister Mitchell was boasting of an intake of 9 million dollars in departure tax from the Point Salines International Airport.

He told an audience in Canada on a visit that the region was expecting 500, 000 people for the games - an astonishing number indeed. Speculation is rife that less than 15, 000 persons came into the country for the games.

The government was on a high as can be seen by the following statement that was made by then Finance Minister, Anthony Boatswain when he delivered the 2007 budget at the Grenada Trade Center on December 15, 2006:

He said: "...Government stands to collect substantial revenue from the event (Cricket World Cup). For example, in keeping with the Host Venue Agreement, all gate receipts belong to the host Government.
"In the case of Grenada, Mr. Speaker, our Stadium has a seating capacity of 16,000; the average price of a ticket is EC$195.75; and the games are to be played over a six day period.

"If we assume a 100 per cent attendance on each day, then Government can collect EC$18.8m from gate receipts alone. When we subtract EC$12.9M in expenditure incurred to date, there is a profit of EC$5.9m".

These figures came from government itself - not something made up by this newspaper or anybody else on the island. So the country expected to collect in excess of EC$26 million from ticket sales and departure tax.

Four months later, the Mitchell government is admitting that it took in a mere 8 million dollars and not the 18.8 million dollars that were given by the Finance Minister in the budget. What a success!!! We invite readers to digest the following statement that came out in the last few days from Barbadian, Barry Collymore, the PRESS SECRETARY,  OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER that had the very "appropriate" headline, "GRENADA REACHES WORLD CUP TARGETS"

"Tuesday July 3rd, 2007, St. George's: The Government of Grenada is expected to collect close to eight million dollars in ticket revenue from the 2007 Cricket World Cup. This was announced today by Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell who received a report from the ICC/CWC 2007 Committee on the region's hosting of the event.

 The report also named Prime Minister Mitchell as being central to the success of the regional event. The report stated, "The work and support of the heads in particular the Chairman of the Prime Ministerial Sub Committee on Cricket Dr. The Rt. Hon. Keith Mitchell paved the way for the eventual success of the event."

In commenting on the report, Prime Minister Mitchell said that Grenada had benefitted significantly from the hosting of the event and had reached nearly all of its projected targets."The final CWC report has shown that this was indeed one of the most successful World Cups held. This success for us in Grenada and the region is a testament to the fortitude and commitment of the people of the Caribbean.

"Those who did not believe that we could excel, do not believe in the strength of our people. I want to congratulate every single Grenadian and Caribbean citizen who worked to make this a success and who believed we could host the world," Prime Minister Mitchell remarked".   

Can the Prime Minister be taken seriously when he said that Grenada "had reached nearly all of its projected targets?" The Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the World Cup, Henry Joseph was on the "Sunday with George Grant" programme over the weekend and gave a good insight into the financial intake from the sporting event.

PM Mitchell was clearly engaged in glorifying himself when the Barry Collymore release would boldly stated that Keith Claudius Mitchell was "central to the success of the regional event". Instead of continuing with all this tomfoolery of the Grenadian people, it is time for Dr. Mitchell to get real and address the nation on more important critical issues like the latest turn of events in his own "Briefcase" saga in which he is now accused of taking not half-a-million dollars but one million U.S dollars from fraudster, Eric Resteiner in alleged bribery payment in exchange for a diplomatic posting.

Our Prime Minister should be informing the nation about the law firm in New York that he retained at great expense in the last few days to represent both he and his wife in a lawsuit that was filed against them as co defendants with the same fraudster, Eric Resteiner.  

The people of the country should be told and not kept in the dark about the trip to London by Deputy Prime Minister, Gregory Bowen last month to take the stand and give evidence in the oil and gas scandal with U.S oilman, Jack Grynberg.

Historians would remember modern day Grenada for the 1979 coup d'etat against the Eric Gairy government to the October 1983 bloody events that included the assassination of a Prime Minister and U.S-led military operation, to now ongoing court cases in New York against a sitting Prime Minister and his deputy on allegations of bribery and corruption in public office.

This is indeed "a sad day" for the people of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique.