Meow! Meow! Whey de Money?
By Reynold C. Benjamin
The other day, I was walking down Church Street from the Court House when a lady stopped me. She was talking to my friend Mc. Intyre, the security at the Court House on the corner.
She said, "Mr. Cluck, Cluck we waiting on you. When you writing another cluck! cluck!?" I responded, "But all you Grenadians funny, yes. All those serious things that I am writing, all all you want is cluck, cluck?"
"So we is, she said. Dat is what we like. Give them another cluck cluck in dey backside. Ah see you asking question about money that missing."
"Yes, I answered, I am waiting for them to respond and then I will think of what to write." She said, "Well, when my mother missed something in the house, she used to say, 'it have Tom cats in here, whey them Tom cat and dem'."
I laughed, but before I could think of something to say, she turned to walk down Market Hill saying as she turned, "Go write that! Mr. Benjamin."
It was not the sort of advice that I was prepared to take, then. But, last week, while listening to Anthony Boatswain, our Minister of Finance, on the Radio that advice began to make so much sense to me that I understood the attitude of that lady far better.
I say so because it is only the mentality of the 'Tom Cat' that can cause the people in the Keith Mitchell Cabinet to behave the way they do.
When you consider their behaviour over what is in fact "the missing US$2.5 million (EC$6.75 million)" anyone would be forgiven for thinking, saying and writing that Keith Mitchell and them think that the Treasury is their private banking account and that the money in there belongs to them.
What else can one think, say and write when for them to open their mouths and tell the truth about we business, we money, they act like they extracting teeth at the dentist. And what is worse is that when we pry open their mouths with a crowbar only lies come foaming out, in such a sickening manner.
Bowen, (no longer 'Honourable', to hell! with the protocol. If the speaker of the house and the president of the senate-common s, h, p and s - for commonness --could play Jab in the nnp, who is me?)
When asked a straight forward question by a senior journalist about the Russian contract and the US$2.5 million ($6.75 million), the minister boldly lied to the nation and intentionally deceived us.
He came to the same media conference dressed in lies about nnp secret oil and gas contract with RSM Corporation and Jack Grynsberg.
When presented with the evidence of his lies and deception, he locked his jaw. His boss Keith (far from 'Honourable'. If the speaker and the president could select nnp candidates for the upcoming general election, who could respect them) races to his rescue to tape over his mouth, just in case he mumbles something, in his sleep. What is so secret? What are they hiding? Whey de money?
Bowen refused to answer. Because! He Cannot! Lennox Andrews, Permanent Secretary in charge of the Treasury, refuses to answer. He knows the money is not in the Treasury.
The man, the boss, refuses to answer. He knows! Poor Anthony Boatswain, who, I am told, knows nothing about this money, is being made the scape goat.
Keith has pushed him up front to take the licks. Boatswain went on a little fm radio station in Sauteurs which is run by an nnp activist and made the following statements:
"The money is in a special account in the Treasury. It is to be used to pay legal fees for the arbitration proceedings in London brought by Grynsberg against the government. Some of it has been used already to pay legal fees to lawyers in London".
The news spread and George Grant of grenadabroadcast.com, eventually, interviewed Boatswain.
This is what he said to Mr. Grant: "The officers in my ministry told me that the money is in a special account. I have not seen an agreement covering the payment of the money to the government. The money is a grant to government. We do not have to repay it. It is in the Consolidated Fund, held in a US$ account.
"It is accounted for in the budget and is in the Estimates of Capital Revenue under Grants. I have not seen an agreement for payment of the money to the government but there ought to be an agreement".
Fellow Grenadians, at this point, let us give Keith Mitchell and the nnp the benefit of the doubts about the destiny of this US$2.5 million (EC$6.75 million) that hover, ominously, over their heads.
While doing so, however, let us look closely and note some of the things that Boatswain said. First of all, it took four months to get an admission from government that this money was paid.
Bowen said, "No agreement." Boatswain says, "There ought to be one." Secondly, Boatswain is not stating his own knowledge but saying that the officers in his ministry told him that the money is in a special fund.
As Minister of Finance it is his duty to verify the facts before addressing the public. He cannot say what others told him as if he did not verify for himself that the money is there.
Let us hope he does not, when the time comes, blame Lennox Andrews for misleading him. Again, how can Boatswain say that he has not seen an agreement under which money was paid to government and at the same time admit that there ought to be such an agreement.
Boatswain is a senior cabinet minister and such an agreement, which is binding the people of this nation, would have had to be approved by cabinet. Yet again, Russian people come to Grenada and give us EC$6.75 million, just so? Any way, so says Anthony Boatswain.
In this kite season, time longer than string. I am satisfied that this money is not in the Estimates for Capital Revenue for the years 2006 and 2007. But I could be wrong.
So, I have sought the advice of professionals in the field of Public Finance and Accounting who will study the Estimates and do an analysis of what Boatswain has said about this huge charitable contribution made to Grenada by Russian Lev Model and his countrymen.
As usual, I will report to the nation in due course. Thank God! I am not in parliament for nnp jab jab to tell me "Shut up and sit down." Heaven help! Keep hope alive!
