BRADES, Monserrat – Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell Wednesday marked the 39th anniversary of the demise of the left-wing People’s Revolutionary Government (PRG) in his homeland, with a warning that the region is not immune from political instability.
Grenada Prime Minister, Dickon Mitchell, addressing OECS leaders in Montserrat (CMC Photo)On October 19, 1983, then prime minister Maurice Bishop and several members of his cabinet were executed during a palace coup orchestrated by his deputy, Bernard Coard, three days earlier.
The demise of the left-wing government that itself had come to power on March 13, 1979 after removing the Eric Gairy administration, led to the United States launching an invasion of the Caribbean island to restore democratic rule.
Addressing the 72nd meeting of the leaders of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) , Prime Minister Mitchell, who came to office in the June 23 general election this year, said the assassination of Bishop and senior members of his cabinet, 39 years ago, is still an issue for Caribbean people.
“While Grenada and the OECS have made significant progress, there are still countries in the region which have had to face the horrific fact of another head of state being assassinated, and as we are all aware not too long ago, the President of Haiti, (Jovenel Moise) was assassinated, and ourr colleagues …in Haiti are still reeling from the assassination of that President”.
He said the anniversary in Grenada is a “sobering reminder and perhaps fitting that we should bring it up today that we too in the region are not immune from political instability and that we should not take our institutions and our democracies for granted.
“I wish to pledge to my colleague heads that Grenada firmly remains committed to the ideals of democracy and to further integration and union in the OECS movement,” Mitchell said.
His St. Kitts-Nevis counterpart, Dr. Terrence Drew, also commented on the situations in Grenada and Haiti, saying his twin island Federation continues “to hurt with you.
“We also continue to be hopeful because we are all a resilient people…and you have our support”.
He said regarding Haiti, he listened to the song “Haiti I am sorry,” by the Trinidadian artiste David Rudder, a few hours before the summit, adding “that after so many years we are back to the same place and possibly even worse.
“But while we say we were sorry, a lot more could have been done and in this vein I encourage us to do what we can for our brothers and sisters in Haiti , the first freed slave nation in the western hemisphere setting the spirit of independence for all of our peoples who came here in chattel slavery.
“We must never forget their sacrifices and commitment to that spirit and therefore encourages us to do all we can to let our brothers and sisters in Haiti know that we are not only sorry, but really we want to do what our capacity allows us to do and extend a tangible hand,” Dr. Drew said.
Last weekend, Canada and the United States said in a joint statement that they had delivered ‘vital equipment” to Haiti that will “assist the HNP (Haitian National Police) in their fight against criminal actors, who are fomenting violence and disrupting the flow of critically-needed humanitarian assistance, hindering efforts to halt the spread of cholera.
Haiti’s Prime Minister Dr. Ariel Henry has also been urging the regional integration movement, of which the OECS states are members, to express solidarity and request assistance to alleviate what has been termed “the deepening humanitarian, security, political, and economic crises in Haiti”.
A statement issued by the Guyana-based CARICOM Secretariat said Henry had written to the leaders of the 15-member grouping on the issue facing the French-speaking country where criminal gangs have virtually brought the country to a standstill by blocking roads to fuel depots and launching rival gang war.
In addition, opposition politicians have been staging demonstrations calling for the removal of Henry, who came to power following the assassination in July last year of President Moise. The opposition are demanding fresh presidential and other legislative elections.
