Who sold Our Birthright

Who sold our Birthright? 

What do these properties have in common?

·       St James Hotel site
·       Former Parliamentary Elections Office , Woolwich Rd
·       Former Doctors Residences at Thebaide, Maran and La Digue
·       Former Hamilton Home , Lucas St
·       The Old Drill Yard
      Sandino Plant at Mt Hartman
·       Former TV station at Morne Jaloux
·       Former Hotel California site at Point Salines

These were government properties sold to the National Insurance Scheme for cash as a result of the fact that the institution did not want to purchase ‘Government Paper’ i.e. Treasury Bills. It is public knowledge that the transactions took place above board and in a transparent manner. The representatives of the Trade Union Congress on the NIS Board can attest to this.

The current Prime Minister has stated that the NDC administration sold the nation’s birthright. The NIS was established to take care of Grenadian pensioners; therefore it is Grenadians who will benefit directly from future transactions on these properties.

Dr. Mitchell seems to forget that it was under his watch that Mt Hartman was sold to Miller who also benefitted from a government guarantee of $30 m for the famous Ritz Carlton Hotel. To date not even a “Jupa” was built. To add insult to injury, we the people were left holding the debt as the money was drawn down in the name of the project. Who sold Levera and acquired peoples land in the area for the Golf Course? All we have now is an abandoned site inhabited by manicou and iguanas. The Prime Minister does not have the moral authority to speak on the subject matter.

The announcement by the Minister of Economic Affairs that the government intends to repurchase these properties listed above came as no surprise. Sources close to the government indicate that the NNP had made promised their friends to hand over some of these properties when they win the elections. The NNP hierarchy was furious when they learned that these properties were now in the hands of the NIS.

The administration lumped all the properties together so as to hide the fact that the main aim is to facilitate the sale of the Sandino plant Compound to one of their financiers in the south. Is payback time and the administration will leave no stone unturned as it seeks to ride rough shod on the nation in the interest of a few at the expense of the majority.

There is no doubt that these transactions will be hammered out in secret deals in one of the new rich neighborhoods in the South East of the island.
It is clear that Dr. Mitchell did not learn much from the 1999 – 2003 periods when, after winning all the seats in 1999, he was scrambling to retain office by an 8-7 margin. Maybe he forgot that the NNP won by six votes. History has a way of repeating itself.

Arthur Kallick


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