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Grenada — where the people decide

ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada — It is almost noon
as I alight from the bus outside the Apple Inn
restaurant and hotel in Grand Anse district on the
south of the island.

It is hot and I duck inside and restaurant for a
cold drink before continuing on to my assignment
at the nearby radio station.

Relaxing over a locally made mango nectar
drink, I remember that the Apple Inn was one of
several properties (hotels, nightclubs, plantations,
etc.) owned by dictator Eric Gairy and his cronies
before he was deposed during an uprising led by the
New Jewel Movement on March 13, 1979.

Now, exactly four years later, Gairy’s property,
long taken over by the government, has become

part of a growing and healthy island economy -

which contrasts with the gloom and doom pre-
dicted by governments ‘in neighboring states like
Barbados.

Speaking at a recent national conference to dis-
cuss this year’s budget proposals, Deputy Prime
Minister of Grenada’s People’s Revolutionary
Government (PRG), Bernard Coard, noted that the
country’s economy has shown sustained growth
since the Revolution, a development which even
the World Bank has admitted in a report released
last August.

Coard, who is also Finance and Trade Minister,
said that the growth last year was some 5.5% over
the previous year and was particularly remarkable
in view of the low prices being experienced on the
international market for its traditional export crops
of bananas and cocoa.

Speaking to the nearly 1,000 delegates from such
organizations as the National Youth Organization
and the People’s Revolutionary Army, Coard said
that the country had experienced ‘‘real progress”’
in 1982 following the implementation of a number
of government projects.

Finance Minister Coard, who viewed the Con-
ference as an example of the PRG’s commitment to
the principles of accountability to the people and
participation by the people, pointed to the con-
struction of new houses, a house repair program
and the coming on stream of a tile and block mak-
ing factory among other projects.

In terms of foreign trade, Coard revealed that the
total turnover in this area was EC$201 million (One
EC dollar equals 37 cents U.S.) of which imports
amounted for $150.9-million and exports $50-mil-
lion. Efforts are continuing, said Coard, to reduce
the import bill by producing local foods. He added
that the percentage of money spent to import food
fell from 28.2% in 1981 to 27.5% last year.

As most Canadians know, the climate and soil in-
the Caribbean favor the growing of several fruits

and vegetables. In Grenada such fruits as mango,
bananas, guava, paw-paw and others are now
being cultivated in a planned way and made into
agro-industrial products with negligible loss in
nutritional value. Both these products and the
fresh stuff are exported and during his speech to
the Conference, the PRG minister pointed out that
some EC$4.5-million of the fruits and vegetables
were exported last year compared to $1.4-million
in 1981. About 15,000 islanders — half of the is-
land’s workforce — work in some way in agri-
culture. The total population of Grenada is
110,000.

The involvement of the PRG i in agro-industry, in
the bus system and other services and production

units is an indication of the desire of the govern-.

ment to make the state sector a most productive

- and viable one. At the same time, the PRG recog-

nizes the importance of a patriotic private sector.

What has the improvement in the overall econ-
omy meant for the average Grenadian? There has
been notable benefits in nearly all areas for the
average Grenadian. For one thing, more Gre-
nadians are working. The astronomically high
unemployment and underemployment figure of
over 50% under the Gairy regime has been brought
down to 14% in 1982, said Coard in his speech,
adding that this is still high and will be reduced
even further in the immediate future.

From the
Caribbean

Norman
Faria

From general physician services to nutritional
advice, the islanders now no longer have to 20
without services as they did under Gairy. The
majority of doctors are Grenadians, but they are
being assisted by a Cuban Medical Brigade. The
skill of these Cubans this writer can personally
attest to, having had to visit one of theirdental units
for treatment of a serious toothache. :

In general, there have been improvements in-ae
standard of living on all fronts for Grenadians dur- |
ing the four years under the PRG..More impor-
tantly, the islanders have themselves participated .
in this growth. This was pointed out in the national
conference last month by Prime Minister Maurice
Bishop. He reminded the delegates that the very
discussion of the budget. was part of the parti-
cipatory democracy being built in Grenada and was
.in keeping with the government’s intention of pay-
ing serious attention to planning.

Marianella Villas’

the regime’s ‘“‘human rights re-

’

Nicaragua, Cuba and Grenada.

Cruise tests.
Bernard Rogers,

That’s what MacGuigan and
MacEachen figured.

U.S. General
NATO

As Reagan continued to
push his demand for an addi-
tional $60-million in
“‘emergency aid’ for El Sal-
vador, basing his appeal on

White House estimates that |

the regime is making ‘‘pro-
gress’’, the press carried an-
other all-too-common story.

The body of Marianella
Garci Villas, 42, was found
March 15 and her death,
according to the army, occured
during ‘‘clashes with guerril-
las’’. Strangely, however, the
body had to be identified by
fingerprints.

Marianella Villas was a
founding member and presi-
dent of El Salvador’s Human
Rights Commission, a group
which worked with the legal
aid office of the Catholic
Church, and catalogued the
litany of abuses by the military
regime which has murdered
42,000 people in three short
years. Reagan tells Congress

cord’’ is improving; the presi-
dent of the country’s Human
Rights Commission is mur-
dered as he speaks.

This atrocity might, per-
haps, be one reason
Washington’s allies are cauti-
ous about backing U.S. policy
in Latin America. It seems just
about everyone outside the
U.S. administration has dis-
covered that American policy
in Central America is aimed at
stopping social change — and
that it will not succeed.

But nothing seems capable
of hammering sense into the
Reagan team, not even friendly
advice from its Western allies.
Reacting to ‘‘non-support’’,
Undersecretary of Defence
Fred Ikle last week accused
America’s European allies of
being “‘ignorant or mis-
chievious’’ for refusing to back
Reagan in Central America.

Ikle called El Salvador
America’s southern border; he
spoke of the domino theory
and assailed the USSR,

PACIFIC TRIBUNE— MARCH 25, 1983—Page 10

ee OR ee

U.S. military aid became a
Christian Crusade, all oppon-
ents at home and abroad to
Reagan’s insanity became
dupes or enemies.

And Marianella Villas’ name
was added to the long lists she
helped compile.

Cruise? Yes,
No, Maybe?

External Affairs Minister
MacEachen tells parliament
there is no agreement to test
the Cruise missile here.

Former External Affairs
Minister MacGuigan is'on re-
cord saying the Cabinet agreed
to the U.S. request to test the
Cruise.

MacEachen then says
Canada ‘‘will consider any re-
quest (to test the missile) be-
cause of the importance of
Western unity ...”’

U.S. ambassador Robinson
calls Canadians ‘‘niave and
misguided’’ for opposing the

Commander, says he’d feel a
lot safer if the Cruise were
tested over terraine ‘‘that is as
closely duplicated’’ as that
which it will be aimed at. Get
the hint?

It doesn’t take a political
genius to get the picture: The
Liberal cabinet, acceeding to a
request by the Carter and then
Reagan: had all but decided to
slip the Cruise through via the
umbrella agreement on testing.
The idea was that without even
open debate in Parliament, the
Cruise would arrive, be tested
and everyone would smile.

But they left out the people

of this country who have spo-
ken out against playing that
deadly game in a voice that
even the Liberal cabinet can’t
ignore. The footsie word
games (yes we did, no we
didn’t, not yet . . .) only points
up this fact.

The key now is to build a
mighty anti-Cruise movement.
Then there will be no doubt
what Canadians think. Perhaps

‘then even the two Bobsy
Twins External Affairs Minis-

ters will get it straight.

is in IAS ae