Like most things about life and time now-a-days, they all seem to be passing by too quickly so that before we realise or take stock of what is happening – something else has already taken its place and we have to change our thoughts to cope with the new scenario. The old proverb said that Time and Tide waited for no man/woman, but as one smart man observed when faced with the debt-collector who came to collect the money he was owing for over one year – because technology, the Computer, internet, jet planes and such like, have speeded up the transfer of information and the movement of people and goods from point A to X, so too have somebody speeded up the passage of time that reduced the year from twelve months to very much less. The debt-collector was impressed with the logic, but still demanded the payment due and owing over the year. And am sure there are Millions of us all over the World who genuinely share that smart-man’s observations, of moving times in to-day’s jet age. And as short a time space as it may seem to some, for whatever reasons, the facts are that this week, - 8th /9th July – our people in Grenada Carriacou and Petite Martinique, had Two years ago voted by a landslide to change the former “Thirteen years in control NNP Government” – for a brand new NDC Government, to take control of their political affairs for the next five years. There are still three years remaining in that term – but the questions, the observations, the criticisms – and no doubt am sure, the commendations especially from the die-hard NDC activists – are rampant all over the place. Which ever category you fall under, based on your personal opinion, we should all be promoting peace by building bridges, not walls. Especially in religious and political matters, we must respect the lawful authority and the opinions of those who do not agree with us. None of us have all the answers on any given subject, and the man/woman who has never made mistakes or done wrong – he/she has not yet been born, or ever will. In trying to achieve the above in to-day’s trying times – we also have to be, or make special efforts to be tolerant of the other persons view points and exercise patience in the process. When making your comments, or questioning what is, or is not happening in the affairs of the Country – we must also bear in mind the time elements involved, in that the last team in control was there for thirteen years doing whatever they did, or did not do, whereas the current controllers have only been in charge for Two years. And whether you approve, or dis-approve, of what the new controllers are doing or not doing – it cannot be denied and must not be forgotten, that the economic conditions Worldwide have gone through a record – breaking down turn over the past three or four years – that the free World Economy have not experienced for more than Seventy years; and not only are those conditions still very prevalent in the first-World economies, despite the heavy Bail-out efforts by their Governments – especially that of the U.S.A. – we in the Third World group of economically dependent states, who cannot even hope to escape the hardships – until our far more affluent Bigger brothers across the seas have themselves over-come the economic devastations – we can only spend the little we have wisely, choose our friends and partners carefully, and above all else operate the business affairs of the people honestly and transparently, and in the interest of all our people. Against all those conditions, and expectations, and limitations – the questions and criticisms, or praises, remain to be answered as we move into the third year, with no major visible improvements anywhere to be seen. And except for the very recent announcements, that the Hall of Justice to house the High Courts and the Legal Department, and the new Parliament Building to be built where the Governor General’s residence used to be, that those will be coming on stream in the new year – there is not much else to shout about on the development horizon. And even the locations chosen for those two very important sectors of the Government operation, may give serious cause for concern down the road. But in anycase these are house-keeping operations, and once built and occupied that is it – except for maintenance in the years ahead. In other words, there is no employment promotion after the buildings are completed, and no income-earnings for the Treasury and people resulting thereform. Whereas development projects in Tourism and Agriculture, once undertaken or given the green light by the powers-that-be to get off the ground – the large pool of un-employed bread-winners, and those thousands of school leavers with all their certificates in hand coming onto the market for employment, those persons can at least harbour the thoughts that employment maybe just around the corner. In our Grenada now-a-days the most thriving pass-time is “Begging”, and we do not need phylosophers and social scientists experts to lay out the dangers inherent in that degrading and temptation-riddled exercise. Those holding the reins of power must take some decisions that show some hope and probabilities that relief is just around the corner. I do not believe that people were expecting economic miracles, to see the job-market landscape transformed with thousands of new jobs overnight – but at least they were quite rightly entitled to hear about and see signs that indicated the economic turn-around was at least visible. But when projects like the Zublin Renaissance Casino hotel development are presented on a plate – and the decision makers response is that they are not ready for that type of development as yet, then it leaves thousands to speculate that those chaps cannot be serious about providing a life-line for the over Thirty-five percent (35%) un-employed persons begging for work out there – and many just begging period. Or alternatively, those winners now in control of the reins of power, who campaigned on a program for change to put them in control – they may very well be shareholders in La Qua Bros. Funeral Agency, because the most thriving business Island-wide now-a-days is burying the dead who may very likely be dying of starvation, or from social diseases resulting therefrom. The situation is rough and very urgent, and should not be minimized or played down from fear of increasing concerns. Now-a-days everything seems to be concentrated around the carnival season. Delta Airlines bringing in full plane loads for Carnival, and we don’t know for how long afterwards. Air Jamaica back at our service for Carnival, and its last flight is September 4th I am advised. So when the Carnival over, what then? And what else is there, or planned and programmed to attract tourists to our shores, and so encourage the few Hotels to stay open and keep the staff they already employ in their jobs? For Carnival last year, Calypsonian Scholar was singing – “I can’t defend you” – in reference to the then one-year old Government, whom he was saying was not performing in keeping with the very basic and down-to-earth open promises, the very Ministers now in control had made. I do not know what he is saying for the now two years old administration – because unless he is privy to some breaking news that the rest of us are not yet exposed to, his message or complaint must be even more dis-heartening – based on what is public knowledge. Two years have gone by, and except for the Resignation of the first Attorney General - for his indiscretion in his dealings with a matter involving his step-son in a matter in the U.S.A., when he used the A.G’s official letter head rather than his private firm’s Stationery – nothing pertaining to all the well-publicised indiscrete ministerial activities, of the former Government Ministers that were openly branded as Criminal in nature, has to-date been made public and action taken. Millions of dollars of the people’s money, that should have been deposited in the Government Treasury and the Consolidated Fund Account, have disappeared elsewhere and more than two years have gone by since those dis-appearances, and to-date silence and in-activity. The people’s property, worth Millions upon Millions of dollars have been transferred and conveyed to all Tom, Dick and Harry, and documents recorded in the Government Registry with no stamp duties ever paid by the new owners, and more than two years thereafter – silence and in-activity. And not only have those so-called owners received Tax Concessions, so that they are paying nothing into the Treasury – but to add insult to injury, they are collecting rents and other dues from occupiers and users of those properties, that should be paid to Government. And as if that State of affairs was not more than bad enough - in one in-famous transaction in the south of the Island, concocted by the last regime before they were voted out of office, to install a more responsible and transparent group in their place – the story behind the scene is that Government has decided to pay the “Owners”, with Tax-payers property Tax and Vat, some Millions to recover the property. Often times I wonder why some of us – the very few – ever bother to stick our necks out, while the majority would not even open their mouths to let their voices be heard. But then again Grenada belongs to all of us who inhabit these rocks – so when we lose all are losers; with the exception that some lose a lot more than others. The rounds of graduation ceremonies are on-going, and when those hundreds of School-leavers take off the gowns and caps and the clapping ceases – what next for them? We can only hope and pray that the next year will be better. By Lloyd Noel