EDITORIAL

The people of Grenada should demand an opportunity at the earliest opportunity to decide whether the status quo must continue or an immediate end be brought to the bad name that the island is subjected to in recent years.

The stakeholders in the country such as our political leaders, members of the religious community, trade unions, private sector leaders, and non-governmental organisations (NGO's) cannot afford to sit idle by and allow the rot to get out of hand.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) as the government-in-waiting should take the lead in sensitising the nation and getting the population ready for "decisive action" that is so badly needed at this point in time.

The town is still talking about the sham that was called the Richard Cheltenham Commission of Inquiry into allegations that Prime Minister Mitchell collected US$500, 000.00 in cash in a briefcase from the imprisoned con man Eric Resteiner in 2000 to make him an ambassador.

And in the midst, evidence has surfaced that former Chief Offshore Regulator, Michael Creft, a fundraiser for the ruling New National Party (NNP) in the 1999 general elections blew the whistle on his colleagues while giving evidence on oath in a criminal trial in Oregon in the United States.

Mr. Creft testified that he gave Prime Minister Mitchell a cash payment of $50, 000.00 and the party's Treasurer, Tony Joseph another $25, 000.00 in cash that came from the coffers of First Bank.

In each case, the Prime Minister seemingly collected cash payments and not cheques or Money Order.

This suggest strongly that Dr. Mitchell was making sure that no paper trail was left behind for anyone to follow his footsteps and nail him for collecting monies from anyone.

And GRENADA TODAY has on doubt that Mr. Creft did what he did in his own interest.

The goodly gentleman was faced with the stark reality of speaking the truth to the U.S Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) into the First Bank scandal or face the prospects of being charged with complicity and going to jail.

The FBI had confronted Mr. Creft with some hard evidence and he was left with no other choice but to blow the whistle on Prime Minister Mitchell and the others.

And the Prime Minister has the audacity to be telling close aides that Mr. Creft disappointed him.

What is he really talking about? Is he suggesting that Mr. Creft should be the fall guy and take the jail alone? Would Dr. Mitchell himself take the jail for anyone who is involved in wrongdoing for the NNP?

Mr. Creft did the right, honourable and decent thing for whatever wrong he might have committed with the funds of those innocent Americans who were misled by those First Bank schemers who were given a safe haven to operate by the Mitchell government.

There are those within the NNP who are trying to cast aspersions on the mental health of Mr. Creft in light of the damaging disclosure that he gave on oath in the Oregon case in the United States.

It shows how dangerous these people are within the ruling party and government-of-the-day as regards the length they would go to try and damage the character and reputation of others who run afoul of them.

The people of Grenada will not forget that it was the same Mr. Creft that the NNP sent to be a part of the Management Team of NAWASA when the going got too tough in the offshore industry.

If something was that wrong with the mental capacity of Mr. Creft, then why send someone there who could have posed a serious threat to the nation's water system?

The spin-doctors of the NNP are not using their thinking caps at the moment simple because the scandals are coming too fast and furious for them to handle.

What Prime Minister Mitchell should be more concerned about is those things which did not come out in the court in Oregon and which Mr. Creft might have briefed the FBI on.

GRENADA TODAY is putting the nation on full alert that "in the fullness of time" some of the revelations made by Mr. Creft to the FBI would be brought to the attention of the Grenadian people.

The FBI and the U.S Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) are fully aware of those in the NNP who collected hard cash to make several crooks around the world Ambassadors and Honorary Consuls.

These agencies know of the dealings of the NNP with the rich Chinese man in California, and the 2000 trip to Kuwait to collect US$500,000.00 in cash to make a Syrian the Ambassador to UNESCO.

The people would get an opportunity not long from now to judge whether they can trust the words of Dr. Mitchell that he is totally innocent of all allegations made against him or the Office of the Prime Minister is occupied by a person with a serious flaw in good character.

The time is drawing nigh when the electorate would have to cast their ballots to decide whether they support what is going on in their country or vote for change and bring some new drivers to handle their affairs.