The idea that I cannot live without you is a lie. The idea that humans shall live by bread alone, is a lie. The idea that Grenada and Grenadians cannot survive without Britain is a lie. We lie about 100 times per day (James Emery White, Outreach Magazine (2017). Joseph Goebbels said: If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic, and/or military consequences of the lie. He continued, ‘The truth is the mortal enemy of the lie.’ Are some Grenadians guilty of telling themselves a lie about our independence?
Grenada will celebrate its 50th Anniversary of Independence on February 07, 2024. This celebration will be under the auspices of or in association with His Majesty King Charles III unless our Grenadian people see self-determination and social progress as sacred, sincere, and sober values worthy of civic, national, and patriotic pursuits. If we do, ‘Forward Ever, Backward Never’ must become a proper political ethic to live by. If we continue with the current construct, we are simply engaging in British monarchism, while the British Monarchy is like gold-plated jewelry, nice for impression, but not worth the investment. From ourselves to nation, government to state, others will hold us accountable if we continue to be independently dependent on the British Monarchy for covering.
If as planned, the ECCB grants Grenada grace and prints commemorative 50-dollar notes, that could be the most revolutionary act in the history of Grenada’s statehood, as, since 1965, the Eastern Caribbean Currency Authority issued banknotes in denominations of 1, 5, 20, and 100 dollars, all featuring Pietro Annigoni’s 1956 portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in regalia of the Order of the Garter.
Up to the point of this writing, the most revolutionary act Grenada underwent was for academic Dr. Nicole Phillip Downe (UWI, Grenada) to research and write ‘Junior History of Grenada’ (2023) for our school curriculum.
As progressive as the Grenada Revolution may have been, even after suspending the Grenada Constitution Order 1973 (in force from February 07, 1974) we still paid respect to the Queen of England, were formed in European history, and looked at the Queen’s face every time we received our salaries or stipends; visited the banks, paid a taxi, and or shopped for our families.
Do we truly and sincerely believe that Grenada is a sovereign and independent country, although a tiny speck on the world map; Do we expect all countries to strictly respect our independence, just as we will respect theirs? Are we convinced that no country has the right to tell us what to do or how to run our country, or who to be friendly with, as we certainly would not attempt to tell any other country what to do? Are we convinced that we are not in anybody’s backyard, and that we are definitely not for sale?
By Vonnie James
Grenada 50: forward ever, backward never
The idea that I cannot live without you is a lie. The idea that humans shall live by bread alone, is a lie. The idea that Grenada and Grenadians cannot survive without Britain is a lie. We lie about 100 times per day (James Emery White, Outreach Magazine (2017). Joseph Goebbels said: If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic, and/or military consequences of the lie. He continued, ‘The truth is the mortal enemy of the lie.’ Are some Grenadians guilty of telling themselves a lie about our independence?
Grenada will celebrate its 50th Anniversary of Independence on February 07, 2024. This celebration will be under the auspices of or in association with His Majesty King Charles III unless our Grenadian people see self-determination and social progress as sacred, sincere, and sober values worthy of civic, national, and patriotic pursuits. If we do, ‘Forward Ever, Backward Never’ must become a proper political ethic to live by. If we continue with the current construct, we are simply engaging in British monarchism, while the British Monarchy is like gold-plated jewelry, nice for impression, but not worth the investment. From ourselves to nation, government to state, others will hold us accountable if we continue to be independently dependent on the British Monarchy for covering.
If as planned, the ECCB grants Grenada grace and prints commemorative 50-dollar notes, that could be the most revolutionary act in the history of Grenada’s statehood, as, since 1965, the Eastern Caribbean Currency Authority issued banknotes in denominations of 1, 5, 20, and 100 dollars, all featuring Pietro Annigoni’s 1956 portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in regalia of the Order of the Garter.
Up to the point of this writing, the most revolutionary act Grenada underwent was for academic Dr. Nicole Phillip Downe (UWI, Grenada) to research and write ‘Junior History of Grenada’ (2023) for our school curriculum.
As progressive as the Grenada Revolution may have been, even after suspending the Grenada Constitution Order 1973 (in force from February 07, 1974) we still paid respect to the Queen of England, were formed in European history, and looked at the Queen’s face every time we received our salaries or stipends; visited the banks, paid a taxi, and or shopped for our families.
Do we truly and sincerely believe that Grenada is a sovereign and independent country, although a tiny speck on the world map; Do we expect all countries to strictly respect our independence, just as we will respect theirs? Are we convinced that no country has the right to tell us what to do or how to run our country, or who to be friendly with, as we certainly would not attempt to tell any other country what to do? Are we convinced that we are not in anybody’s backyard, and that we are definitely not for sale?
By Vonnie James
