By Max Sterling
Tuesday 19th August, 2008 would go down in our nation's history as the day that sealed the parliamentary deal for Dr. Keith Mitchell since he is now no longer seen as large and in charge.
After being put in his place and at the door steps of disgrace on July 08, 2008, Dr. Mitchell appeared in Parliament very much the loner his selfish dictatorial culture led him to become.
Interestingly, no one was even focused on his three colleague opposition MP's - Hons. Clarice Modeste-Curwen, Elvin Nimrod and Roland Bhola - as they were on him and his "fidgetings" in the House, proving how uncomfortable he was with his slide from grace.
Keith was so detached from reality that he could not see it coming. And I maintain that Dr. Mitchell is the Opposition Leader for the time being as the State begins the process of looking at possible charges to be brought against him for Misbehaviour in Public Office.
Surely, once this happens it would eventually lead to his confirmed status as one truly unfit for public office ever again.
So Grenadians, bear with the current authorities as they cross their T's and dot their I's to embark on what could be truly humiliating for a man who used his office to both terrorise his opponents dissention while at the same time mismanaging the local economy as if the people's funds were his own personal property.
Imagine this character who the carelessness of many Grenadians allowed to hold the highest elected office for all of 13 years actually went to Parliament carrying with him a handful of inferior mortals to cheer him on during his swearing in.
Three of Mitchell's tormentors - Michael Baptiste - a former Cabinet Minister in the NNP administration who became Leader of the Opposition after he was unceremoniously dismissed by Mitchell; leading local Criminal Attorney and former Opposition Senator - Anslem Clouden; and George Worme - editor-in chief of Grenada Today, the island's leading newspaper - came face to face with Dr. Mitchell at the end of the Parliamentary session.
They simply attempted to find out from Jonah how he felt having lost the seat of power he enjoyed for thirteen years.
Needless to say, they were at first ignored to the point where Keith turned his back on them and gravitated toward the local media whose membership he had cursed and attempted to chastise before, during and after the elections for their perceived opposition to him.
No sooner than he was finished with the media, Baptiste pounced on him again saying: 'Dr. Mitchell, look at the 3 men who bring your down! What do you have to say?"
He was so visibly shaken, that he was heading for the exit instead of going onto the stage with the other Parliamentarians where he was required in order to take photos for the official record of the Parliament. Upon recognizing that he was heading out of the building with the three tormentors in close proximity, Keith had to do an about turn.
When one of the trio attempted to ask him how he was feeling now that he had lost power, all Dr. Mitchell could say was: "Lee me alone! Lee me alone! Lee me alone!"
Surely only Little Boys behave that way. So Grace Duncan was right when she said that Dr. Mitchell was behaving like a Little Boy following a dispute between the two of them in Cabinet.
While Keith was running away, Michael Baptiste was heard to say: "So you are afraid to look at the 3 of us who bring you down?
Baptiste continued: "So you running eh! Well, we go meet you in front of Patricia Mark in the court house. You can't continue to duck and hide."
George Worme - dressed immaculately in white as if to send a signal of purity since the demise of Mitchell and his NNP group of good for nothing said to him: "Jonah, well face us nah. If you are afraid to meet us before Miss Mark then you could meet us in front of Jerry Seales.
The problem with Mitchell is that when he had power in his hands he misused it and abused it so badly that now he is out of power he is like a ship without a rudder.
The Little Boy from Happy Hill used his power to bring all kinds of charges against his opponents but when his time came to appear in court to answer accusations made against him in the United States, he choose not to stand up as a man but to seek immunity from prosecution as Prime Minister.
Many persons are voicing their opposition to the thought that the new administration in St. George's may have no interest in pursuing Dr. Mitchell on the issue of dual citizenship.
I want to publicly agree with them because to what end will it serve us as a people to pursue him on that score when all he has to do is to renounce it and stand for re-election if the court will so rule that there be a by-election in the constituency.
Trust me - that will not get rid of him from the Parliament. We also have to take into consideration that we cannot undo anything that was done during the past 13 years by way of legislation passed in Parliament under his stewardship. That is therefore not as important as many of us may think.
What is going to be more devastating is the battery of charges that should be brought against him for his intransigence in public office. He must be called to account by way of a police investigation into the Switzerland money issue and others.
We need to ask where is the Coast Guard that the government of Trinidad & Tobago gave us EC$14 million to purchase. We may even need to ask where is the money - as there is no Coast Guard and my understanding is that the money is no where to be found.
I guess both the Accountant General and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance might just be able to help us with locating either the Coast Guard if at all it is on order or the money.
We must remember, public servants ensure the continuous nature of government and their institutional memory must be taxed in order for us to arrive at solutions to the many riddles which the Mitchell administration may have left behind.
I don't know about you - but I can still hear the jail door banging loud and clear! When an example is made of Mitchell, it is my fervent belief that no other elected official will ever desire to misbehave ever again while in public office.
Mitchell must face the full voltage of the laws which he used his position of authority to circumvent. Mitchell, the jail might just be waiting!
You probably never remembered that every pig has its Saturday. Well guess what! Yours has arrived! Ba dang bang! That will soon become a familiar sound to you and all your accomplices - whether they were in the Cabinet with you or outside in business facilitating your excesses.
A good friend of yours told me once that, "Money obtained dishonestly must end up in the hands of honest people". You are about to see where he was coming from since the lawyers you will have to hire in due course will surely be working honestly for their money.
Keith Mitchell, round one is over as you are out of office. Round two is to dismantle the inferior apparatus you established to protect you and continue your influence over the current process.
Round three is most crucial - taking you from Happy Hill to Richmond Hill because you are a man that the law of karma will not be kind to and no one will also be sorry for you.
After all Keith, you have made too many people suffer! Get familiar with this sound: Ba dang bang!
