GRENADA TODAY - Week ending Nov 8th, 2008

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Last week was an eventful week indeed, to the point where there is justification in feeling there is never a dull moment in Grenada. 

 We have to thank a few people for bringing us up-to-speed with the issues which created excitement for most and pandemonium for the few who were starring in the events. 

 The role our local media continues to play in Grenada is key, and although they come with their challenges, they have been trying well to meet and beat those challenges.  Standing out most profoundly is the two George's – i.e. George Worme and George Grant.  

 As we all know George Wome of Grenada Today has positioned himself as a formidable force to be reckoned with – so much so it can be easily noticed how ruffled the current Opposition Leader becomes with the sound of his name, much more in his presence.  

 We must recall when George Grant was putting his panel together for the pre-election debate – how unsettled the outgoing Prime Minister was to the point where he agreed to participate as long as George Worme was taken off the panel. 

 I will spare you the details but Dr. Mitchell knows fully well that George Worme knows him well enough to play with his psyche and defeat him totally. Dr. Mitchell is mortally afraid that George Worme might one day reveal many, many of his dark secrets since the two of them were once best of buddies. I know what I am talking about.

 To think that somewhere along the line Dr. Mitchell embraced each of the people who turned out to be his arch enemies today, is really interesting, indeed.  The other George – i.e. "Grant" of Grenada Broadcast needs to be admired even in all his conservative glory. He saw a need for the role his medium plays and he went ahead to put things in place to fill that need. 

 I can quite understand the satisfaction he feels when he receives accolades like this one as his work is recognised and many are grateful for it. 

 The other two entities I want to recognise happen to be Michael Bascombe, the individual, who has really done well on his own to share with us – even though he is remotely located in New York. If it weren't for him the Prime Minister's visit to New York and Toronto soon after elections would have gone to naught. He is also very generously helpful when called upon – a true professional and patriot indeed. 

 Ray Roberts' leadership of MTV News is worth more than a mention as that entity is really the bomb!  Their newscasts are usually spot-on so much so it is the news to beat right now on local television. The entire news team at MTV needs to be congratulated for their hard work. The only thing I would like to see improved relates to punctuality as 7:30 must be 7:30! 

 I recall hearing Belize's Prime Minister - Dean Barrow – after his victory at the polls earlier on this year congratulate the media there for understanding the issues and ventilating them in a manner to engender understanding in the populace, hence the delivery of change in Belize. 

 I can say the same for Grenada. After the terrible attacks on the media by the current Opposition Leader who continues in opposition to attack them, the local media was able to mirror Dr. Mitchell and his party integrally with all their transgressions against the Grenadian people to the point where that contributed to the change we received on July 08, 2008.

 I therefore believe Dr. Mitchell's continued aggression towards the media has to do with the vendetta he feels he must settle with them for playing a key role in catapulting him out of office. If he wants to remain where he is (in opposition, and many pray eventually out of Parliament completely and in a safe place at Richmond Hill), he just has to continue on the reckless path that he is on. 

 One more individual who never ceases to surprise me is Lawyer and Diplomat – Anslem Clouden. I could not help but listen with special interest to his press conference held to discuss the conduct of the resident US representative in Grenada which sought to bring into disrepute her country's Department of Justice even though not intentionally. 

 You see, she may have been so eager to help out an old "Republican" friend (in Dr. Mitchell) that she ignored protocol and went head over heels to involve herself directly in a local matter.  

 What I find interesting in all of this is that the information she provided publicly with apparent glee put Dr. Mitchell in further scrapes with the law as he was not only elected to office when he assumed the office of Prime Minister in June of 1995.  

 Clouden thinks the fit and proper thing for Karen Jo  McIsaac to have done was to use behind the scenes diplomatic channels to shed new light on the matter instead of phoning the media directly and becoming embroiled in a local matter.  

 James Bristol, Grenada's Attorney General has since issued a final release after the Department of Justice confirmed that the State Department's information is indeed correct – that Dr. Mitchell did relinquish his US citizenship on assumption of office as Prime Minister in June, 1995. 

 This means that for the three general elections of December 1984, March 1990 and June 1995 – Dr. Mitchell knowingly made false declarations when he signed up to become a candidate in the general elections and was successfully elected to office on the three occasions. 

 This is found to be in breach of the Criminal Code Chapter 1 of the 1990 Laws (continuous revised edition) Vol. 1 – Section 391. The penalty for making a false declaration for office is imprisonment for two years. If there is no Statute of Limitation on this matter, Dr. Mitchell can find that the matter of his citizenship may not be over. 

 It would appear that Grenada's Director of Public Prosecutions has his work cut out for him since there may be no Statute of Limitation on the criminal offense of perjury which according to Clouden carried a penal sanction of 10 years. I cannot help but wonder if US Charge d’affairs Karen Jo McIsaac would either visit him "when" he is convicted "if" charged.

 The right and fit thing for the US authorities to do is to recall this woman who's been nothing but an embarrassment to her country as her eagerness to support an old "Republican" friend drags her country into public disrepute.

 America has been too kind to us for its representative here to erode the goodwill we feel for her country resulting from her poor judgment.  KarenJo McIsaac needs to do the decent thing! 

 I want to agree after all with a comment made by a senior member of the government that one should just ignore the US diplomat and not call for sanctions against her. 

 Who is to tell what might become of information relating to any meeting held between her and our Foreign Office.  

 For all you know we will hear Dr. Mitchell coming out and saying in his usual worrisome tone: "You see, dem RMC boys want to kick America out!  You can't say, ah din warn all you!" 

 That is a reasonable position and I take my hat off to that government official since he is thinking far ahead as against looking too nearly at this matter. 

 One beautiful hope we have is that this matter can actually lead to the penal sanction of Dr. Mitchell for swearing a false declaration and participating in three of our general elections when our constitution is clear on matters pertaining to dual citizenship except for Commonwealth citizens. Round one went to our erudite Attorney General who genuinely believes that the whole fiasco was an administrative error. 

 Round two is left up to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) since the matter has apparently graduated into a criminal matter. 

 The fullness of time is filling out nicely, oui! 

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