The Grenada revolution
 After
obtaining independence, Grenada adopted a modified Westminster parliamentary
system based on the British model, with a governor general appointed by and
representing the British monarch (head of state) and a prime minister who is
both leader of the majority party and the head of government. Sir Eric Gairy was
Grenada's first prime minister.
Eric Gairy headed the nation through the latter half of the 1970s, but his rule
was opposed by many in Grenada who viewed him as a corrupt tyrant.
In 1979, Gairy was ousted in a bloodless coup and the Marxist-Leninist People's
Revolutionary Government (PRG) came to power, headed by Prime Minister Maurice
Bishop. Under Bishop, Grenada aligned itself with Cuba and other Soviet bloc
countries, which alarmed the U.S. and other Caribbean nations. In 1983, the PRG
split and the faction opposed to Bishop had him arrested. In a showdown at Fort
George in the capital city of St. George's, many Bishop supporters were
massacred and Bishop was executed by a firing squad.
At this turn of events, U.S. President Ronald Reagan dispatched a joint
U.S.-Caribbean force to Grenada. They took control of the island, bringing an
end to Grenada's revolutionary government. (One of the reasons given for the
invasion was to rescue U.S. medical students who were studying in Grenada,
though the leaders of the coup had reportedly offered them safe passage off the
island.) The incident, known on the island as the "intervention," continues to
be a topic of discussion. Leaders of the coup remain in jail on Grenada.
 After U.S. troops withdrew, elections in 1984 installed the first of several
postrevolutionary governments. Aid and technical assistance programs sponsored
by the U.S. have strengthened the country's economy. The country has attempted
to increase tourism in recent years, a task made easier by the completion of the
international airport in 1984.On March 13, 1979, the new joint endeavor for
welfare, education, and liberation (New Jewel) movement ousted Gairy in a nearly
bloodless coup and established a people's revolutionary government (PRG), headed
by Maurice Bishop, who became prime minister. His Marxist-Leninist Government
established close ties with Cuba, the Soviet Union, and other communist-bloc
countries.
In October 1983, a power struggle within the government resulted in the arrest
and subsequent murder of Bishop and several members of his cabinet by elements
of the people's revolutionary army. Following a breakdown in civil order, a
U.S.-Caribbean force landed on Grenada on October 25 in response to an appeal
from the governor general and to a request for assistance from the Organization
of Eastern Caribbean States. U.S. citizens were evacuated, and order was
restored.
An advisory council, named by the governor general, administered the country
until general elections were held in December 1984. The New National Party (NNP),
led by Herbert Blaize, won 14 out of 15 seats in free and fair elections and
formed a democratic government. Grenada's constitution had been suspended in
1979 by the PRG, but it was restored after the 1984 elections.
The NNP continued in power until 1989 but with a reduced majority. Five NNP
parliamentary members-including two cabinet ministers-left the party in 1986-87
and formed the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which became the official
opposition.
In August 1989, Prime Minister Blaize broke with the NNP to form another new
party-The National Party (TNP)-from the ranks of the NNP. This split in the NNP
resulted in the formation of a minority government until constitutionally
scheduled elections in March 1990. Prime Minister Blaize died in December 1989
and was succeeded as prime minister by Ben Jones until after the elections.
The NDC emerged from the 1990 elections as the strongest party, winning seven of
the 15 available seats. Nicholas Brathwaite added two TNP members and one member
of the Grenada United Labor Party (GULP) to create a 10-seat majority coalition.
The governor general appointed him to be prime minister.
In parliamentary elections on June 20, 1995, the NNP won eight seats and formed
a government headed by Dr. Keith Mitchell.
source: U.S. State Department Background Notes 1998
It all began in 1973, when the NJM formed to oppose the dictatorship of Eric
Gairy, successor to British colonial rule, who was as treacherous and brutal as
Papa Doc was in Haiti. Many activists, both in Grenada and worldwide, were
inspired by the movement's call for a populist socialism. After six years of
growing mass mobilizations that created a virtual stalemate with the Gairy
regime, the revolutionary forces launched an armed uprising on March 13, 1979.
Within hours, government troops surrendered and the NJM was in power. Dramatic
advances in poor people's access to education and health care, land reform, and
advances in women's rights soon followed.
The people of Grenada adored Bishop, but the Reagan administration viewed him as
diabolically suspicious, particularly for his close relationship with the Cuban
government. In his 1983 Hunter College speech, Bishop mockingly paraphrased a
State Department report, bringing down the house: "Grenada is a particular
threat as an English-speaking, Black revolution that could have a dangerous
influence on Blacks in the U.S."-which indeed it did, and on progressives
worldwide. But the inability of Grenada's new leaders to resolve differences
over governance-probably fed by CIA aid to opposition factions-led to the
turmoil that opened the gates for the U.S. invasion. Bernard Coard, the finance
and deputy prime minister, began waging factional warfare against Bishop and his
allies, culminating in the October 13 military coup.
Twelve days later, under the pretext of protecting U.S. medical students on the
island, President Reagan authorized the invasion. He felt justified in moving
against a government that was using Cubans to build an airport and was a threat
to U.S. hegemony in the Caribbean. U.S. marines killed dozens of Grenadian
soldiers and civilians and 18 Cuban construction workers. A client regime was
quickly installed.
Don Rojas, who often hosted programs on government-owned Radio Free Grenada,
concludes: "The political importance of radio was underscored at several
critical moments during the Grenada events of 1979-83, from the seizing of the
country's radio station by NJM rebels on the morning of the insurrection, to the
active use of radio during the revolution to educate and mobilize the masses, to
the U.S. bombing of the station in the invasion's first hours. And back in New
York, WBAI was always there to tell the story to the world."
After Grenada's New Jewel Movement (NJM) took power in 1979, Samori Marksman,
the late, brilliant intellectual and WBAI producer who later became program
director, traveled to the island twice. He brought back the voices of the
revolution to New York, both on the air and in community forums. Valerie van
Isler, then WBAI's international affairs director and later general manager,
visited as well and coordinated frequent and thorough coverage of developments
there. Bernard White, then a producer and now program director, and Elombe Brath,
then and now host of WBAI's Afrikaleidoscope, also provided coverage, as did
other reporters throughout Pacifica.
Whenever NJM leaders came to New York, Marksman set up public events and radio
interviews for them. He was a key organizer of the historic, standing-room-only
forum at Hunter College in June 1983-repeatedly broadcast on WBAI-at which Prime
Minister Maurice Bishop made a memorable speech excoriating U.S. imperialist
policies in the Caribbean.
Don Rojas, WBAI's current general manager, was Bishop's press secretary and the
main liaison with community journalists. He was both a participant in and
eyewitness to the tumultuous events of October 1983, which almost cost him his
life. On October 13, all the developing plans and dreams of the revolutionary
government were smashed in a cataclysm of reaction, provoked by a split within
NJM ranks. Bishop and his closest confidants-including Rojas-were put under
house arrest, provoking massive popular protests led by high school students.
Rojas was one of several officials who gained freedom amidst the chaos.
"Six days later, a wave of students swept past the soldiers, freed Maurice and
brought him to Fort Rupert, the military headquarters in the capital city of St.
George's," Rojas remembers. "But the anti-revolutionary government forces
violently stormed the fort. Maurice told me and a squadron of men to flee and
inform the world of the repression. Moving quickly, we commandeered a bank of
phones in the central telecommunications building nearby and began calling
Grenada's embassies abroad and international news agencies. From this location,
we could also see the tragic drama unfolding."
Pro-coup soldiers killed 13 of Bishop's defenders, and minutes later murdered
Bishop himself and several other cabinet ministers and union leaders. Rojas went
underground, sought and was denied political asylum in Canada, was repeatedly
refused entry into the U.S., lectured and worked in Europe, Africa, and Latin
America as a journalist and editor for several years before finally being
admitted to the U.S. in 1990.
Even so, as noted historian Gordon Lewis reminded us after the invasion, "No
examination of the Grenada Revolution...should end on a pessimistic note...There
is much to be proud of."
Maurice Bishop 1944-1983
"...let me assure the people of Grenada that all democratic freedoms, including
freedom of elections, religious and political opinion, will be fully restored to
the people… People of Grenada, this revolution is for work, for food, for decent
housing and health services, and for a bright future for our children and great
grand-children..."
Maurice Bishop -1979 -
I - Maurice Bishop portrait
Grenadian leader and Marxist revolutionary. Born in 1944 to Rupert and Alimenta
Bishop, Maurice grew up in the British-controlled Caribbean island of Grenada.
Like many people in the country, Bishop led a poverty-stricken childhood due to
a lack of industrialization and Britain's lack of concern for the Grenadians'
well-being.
After being a colony for 300 years, in 1974, Grenada declared independence.
However, little changed for the island's people, for the local government (led
by Sir Eric Gairy) was still very pro-British. Gairy was apathetic to the plight
of the public in Grenada, and he stamped out dissidence with his strong-arm
politics.
Bishop had formed the New Jewel Movement (NJM) in 1973, mainly from the merging
of the Movement for Assemblies of the People (MAP) and the Joint Endeavor for
Welfare, Education and Liberation (JEWEL). After the independence of Grenada,
Bishop's NJM became the chief opponent party to Sir Gairy.
Though the island's population numbered below 100,000, Bishop and the NJM was
able to rally tens of thousands against the dictatorship of Gairy. In
retaliation, Gairy unleashed his fascistic henchmen, who called themselves the
"Mongoose Gang." They were responsible for the deaths of many strikers in
Grenada, including Maurice's father Rupert.
In 1979, Bishop and his comrades learned of a plan put forward by Gairy to
assassinate the NJM's leaders while the dictator was out of the country. In
March of that year, they were able to thwart it with a bloodless seige which
took over the nation's single radio station. With the mass support of the
people, Bishop came to power and Gairy found himself without a regime to return
to.
Bishop installed a revolutionary government that went to work organizing
workers' councils and creating a very participatory government. He worked to
develop the island, and received aid mainly from Cuba and the Soviet Union, and
later — the Sandinistas of Nicaragua. One of the chief efforts of Maurice was
the construction of a airplane runway in order to further tourism for the
nation.
Bishop was closely influenced by the ideas of Cuban leader Fidel Castro and
Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega. Being the only English-speaking of this Caribbean
triad, Bishop hoped to appeal to the working-class of United States — especially
the oppressed African American population.
But Bishop's openly Marxist government ran immediately into criticism from U.S.
President Jimmy Carter. And later, things only became worse as far-right
Republican Ronald Reagan was elected president. Reagen, who secretly supported
the right-wing Contras in Nicaragua, also tried stirring up what little
oppositon to Bishop there was. Though even the United Nations and the
Oranization of American States condemned Reagen's policies, he continued
undaunted.
Due to Bishop's non-abbrassive attitude toward Reagan and his willingness to
allow small private businesses to continue in Grenada, Bishop became the target
of Bernard Coard, an extreme Stalinist and Minister of Finance. On October 19,
1983, Bishop and most other leaders of the government were rounded up by Coard
and his military clique and executed. Bishop and his wife were shot dead in a
small and isolated hut in the forest.
Coard's thirst for power had succeeded, but his success was short-lived. Reagen,
seeing an opportunity to strike, sent in hundreds of American elite forces into
Grenada on October 25. Many were killed. The US then re-installed former
dictator Sir Gairy as leader of the nation. Reagen's aministration accused
Bishop and Coard both of building the air strip in order to allow Cuba and the
USSR to take over the island. As for Coard, he is occupying a jail cell in
Grenada for a life sentence.
While Bishop's government and life were cut short tragically by extremists from
both ends of the political spectrum, he remains a light of hope for socialists
who see his participatory and egalitarian regime as a perfect example of how a
workers nation can be arranged.
Maurice Bishop Bio
In 1969 Maurice Bishop returned to Grenada after studying law in England. Soon afterwards he helped form the Movement for Assemblies of the People (MAP) and the Movement for the Advance of Community (MACE). In 1973 these organizations merged with Joint Endeavor for Welfare, Education and Liberation (JEWEL) to establish the New Jewel Movement (NJM).
In 1979 a rumour began circulating that Gairy planned to use his "Mongoose Gang" to assassinate leaders of the New Jewel Movement while he was out of the country.
On 13th March 1979, Maurice Bishop and the NJM took over the nation's radio station. With the support of the people the NJM was able to take control of the rest of the country.
Influenced by the ideas of Marxists such as Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and Daniel Ortega, Bishop began establishing Workers' Councils in Grenada.
He received aid from the Soviet Union and Cuba and with this money constructed a aircraft runway to improve tourism.
Bishop attempted to develop a good relationship with the United States and allowed private enterprise to continue on the island. Bernard Coard, the Minister of Finance, disagreed with this policy. He also disliked Bishop's ideas on grassroots democracy.
On 19th October, with the support of the army, Coard overthrew the government. Maurice Bishop and most of his ministers were arrested and executed.
President Ronald Reagan, who had been highly critical of Bishop's government, took this opportunity to intervene and sent in the United States Marines. The initial assault on 25th October, 1983, consisted of some 1,200 troops, and they were met by stiff resistance from the Grenadian army. Heavy fighting continued for several days, but as the invasion force grew to more than 7,000, the defenders either surrendered or fled into the mountains.
Bernard Coard, along with Phyllis Coard, Selwyn Strachan, John Ventour, Liam James and Keith Roberts, were arrested on 31st October 1983.
The leaders of the coup were put on trial in August 1986. Along with 13 others, Board was sentenced to death. This sentence was commuted to life-imprisonment in 1991.
 Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell of Grenada is convinced that for Grenada to
move forward it has to purge itself of the ghosts of the past – and among those
is the freeing of the 17.
The Grenada 17
They were accused of murdering Prime Minister, Maurice Bishop, and others. The seventeen have always maintained their innocence in relation to the charges brought against them and there are many that question the fairness of their trial. Several people have campaigned on their behalf worldwide and a pamphlet by Richard Hart, The Grenada Trial: A Travesty of Justice, gives details of the trial process.
The Grenada 17 are: Bernard Coard, Selwyn Strachan, General Hudson Austin, Ewart Layne, Liam James, Leon Cornwall, Dave Bartholomew, John Ventour, Phyllis Coard, Colville McBarnette, Christopher Stroude, Lester Redhead, Calistus Bernard, Cecil Prime, Andy Mitchell, Vincent Joseph, and Cosmos Richardson.
Over the years many individuals and organisations have donated money and other resources to assist with such matters as; defending the trial of the 17, paying tuition and exam fees for those studying to improve their education, purchasing books, computers and other educational materials to assist with the prison education programme. If you wish to make a donation of money (or some other resource) towards the campaign for justice for the 17, then please write to The Committee for Human Rights in Grenada (UK) also known as the CHRG (UK), 83A High Street, Harlsden, London, NW10 4NT, ENGLAND. If you wish to send a cheque please make it payable to CHRG.
The prisoners in Grenada
Bernard Coard, a Grenadian, his Jamaican wife Phyllis and 15 other former government ministers and members of the military have been in prison in Grenada since the United States invasion of the island in 1983. They were part of the left-wing government that was established after a revolution in 1979 that ousted Eric Gairy. This government achieved much for the health, education and literacy of the Grenadian people, as also for the status of women and the welfare of pre-school children.
Tragically, disagreements within the government led to an affray in October 1983 in which the Prime Minister, Maurice Bishop, and several others were killed. This was the excuse for the invasion ordered by U.S. President Reagan, which led to mass arrests of New Jewel Movement members. Among those detained were Bernard and Phyllis Coard.
Bernard, Phyllis and 15 others (who have become known internationally as the "Grenada 17") were tried in 1986 for their alleged part in Bishop’s death, and found guilty of murder.
Twelve of them, including the Coards, were sentenced to death and the others to life imprisonment. The trial is widely regarded as having been hopelessly biased and legally flawed, for instance, through improper jury selection procedures and failure to admit medical evidence of the use of torture during interrogation. Nonetheless, the Grenada Court of Appeal in 1991 rejected the Grenada 17’s appeal; today, after 8 years, the judges have still not produced a written statement of their judgment.
Immediately following the 1991 verdict, Bernard Coard and four others were about to be executed, but an international outcry led to a postponement, and then to the commuting of the death sentences to life imprisonment. However, the Grenada 17 were, by special legislation, deprived of the right to appeal to the Privy Council. This denial of a right now available to all other Grenadian citizens constitutes discrimination of a clearly political nature, all the more so since Grenada has no internal parole system. The 17 could therefore only be released by a decision of the government of Grenada.
The 17 have now served over 16 years in prison, and would under most systems, regardless of their guilt or innocence, have by now been due for remission.
As things stand, they could well remain in prison for the rest of their lives. Their behaviour in prison has been exemplary. Bernard has led a programme of education for many of the 300 inmates of Richmond Hill Prison: a large number have achieved A-level or technical qualifications, and a few have obtained university degrees.
Inadequate medical facilities affect Phyllis Coard, who as the only woman political prisoner spent the best part of six years in virtual solitary confinement and now suffers from post traumatic stress disorder, clinical depression and anxiety. The 16 male prisoners also suffer various health ailments, of which, Kamau McBarnette's prostate condition is the most serious. Their release is warranted on compassionate grounds, quite apart from the injustice of the situation in which all 17 prisoners are placed.
Bernard and his fellow prisoners have issued an apology for the misjudgement of their government, which led to the tragedy of October 1983. They have accepted political and moral responsibility for the tragedy. While reiterating their innocence of the charge of murder, they have expressed their sincere regrets to those whose family or friends were killed in the affray. They have also stated that none of the prisoners, if released, would again engage in any political activities.
The massive US propaganda campaign waged in Grenada right after the invasion explicitly targeted Bernard Coard (e.g. large posters declaring him to have betrayed his country, museum displays naming him as a murderer before the conclusion of his trial); the Grenada 17 do not have the means to conduct a counter-campaign. Whilst some Grenadians are hostile to the release of the 17, there is support for them in some quarters; one of the 3 weekly newspapers in Grenada has consistently called for their release in recent years, and another has published material sympathetic to them.
Remains not those of former PM Bishop
The United States Department of Justice has informed Prime Minister and Minister
of National Security Dr. Keith Mitchell of the results from the examination of
the suspected gravesite of former prime minister Maurice Bishop.
Technical Assistance for the Royal Grenada Police Force had been requested,
following reports of the discovery of human remains in the St. George’s
Wilburforce Cemetery.
An eight-member team of experts from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as
well as a forensic dentist from Scotland and a pathologist from St. Lucia,
participated in the recovery and examination of the remains, which took place in
April 2000.
Examination of the skeletal remains was conducted at the St. George’s
University.
The results found that none of the remains are consistent with being the remains
of the late Maurice Bishop or one of his political associates who were executed
on October 19, 1983.
The biological attributes reported for the late Bishop and his political
associates are not consistent with that of the remains examined.
Based on the scientific evidence, the primary inconsistency noted for the
remains is that of biological age, as the individuals represented in the graves
are significantly older than former prime minister Bishop and his political
associates.
Office of the Prime Minister, December 14, 2001
Rudolph Ogilvie
Biography
Grenadian Leaders
Date of Birth (DOB): 12/15/57
Died: 4/17/01
From: Grenada
Best Known for: One of the 46 leader of the Grenada Revolution
Bio: Ogilvie’s role in the history of creating the Grenada Revolution is well
established. He was one of the historic forty-six (46) Grenadian patriots and
revolutionaries who stormed Gairy's True Blue Barracks, the barracks housing the
dreaded "Green Beasts" as Gairy's army was called.
In the process, Gairy's entire was defeated without loss of life on both sides.
With the birth of the Grenada Revolution on March 13th 1979, Rudi became a
member of the People's Revolution Army (PRA). And led the resistance against the
US invasion.
Later as a cultural enthusiast, Rudi selfless dedicated over twenty (20) years
of service to the calypso art form. Rudi was an integral part of the Executive
of the Grenada Progressive Calypso Association (GPCA) |
Paradise Inn Carriacou 
History 
