Revolutionary leaders resume the fight rid ourselves of foreign military occupation forces in the country and establish the political life of the country once again.
To someone who has lived in Grenada, has experienced the life of the revolution and also the death of the revolution, where people were so turned off, so dis-
The left in Grenada is slowly rebuilding itself.
Kendrick Radix, an ex-official of the New Jewel Movement (NJM) and exminister of justice in the revolutionary government agreed to do the following exclusive interview for International Viewpoint.
was conducted on October 26, 1984. (See also inside pages.)
Question. The Maurice Bishop Patriotic
Movement hesitated a long time before finally deciding to participate in the December 3 elections.
What will be the main themes of the election campaign and what are the objectives of the
MBPM?
Answer.
The Maurice Bishop Patriotic
Movement was established on May 29.
It was to mark the fourteenth anniversary of African Liberation Day being celebrated in Grenada, as well as marking the fortieth birthday of Maurice
Bishop. A number of things had to be done before the party was established
In January of this year we set up the
Maurice Bishop Memorial Foundation.
This foundation had the task of creating a climate once again that was favourably disposed to revolutionary tendencies as well as to hold the ground in the face of the propaganda onslaught which was organised by the CIA in Grenada consequent to the invasion of our country.
At the same time there was the campaign of slander against the former revolutionary leadership including the prime
Maurice Bishop, minister, the other ministers and other leading revolutionaries.
At the same time negative propaganda was being directed at the life and work of the revolution. So the balance of opinion in the country turned decidedly
Kendrick Radix addresses election workers (DR)
ПЛА ТНО ПО
One of its main leaders, The interview against the revolutionary experiences of
During that period also we spent some establishing our newspaper, the Indies Times, a progressive left oriented newspaper aiming to provide, once again, a vehicle through which the movement could speak.
We saw three steps: the building of the Foundation; the establishment of Indies Times; only as a third step did we see the establishment of the Patriotic Movement as it came about. Therefore, we moved to the third step which was the establishment of the political party on the date which I have already given. Therefore, we do not believe that the party has been long or tardy or slow in moving to the polls.
What was necessary was careful preparation, creating the right climate, so that we could salvage something from the wreck, from the havoc, from the infantile disorder that was precipitated by these ultra-leftists in setting back a process that was gaining ground inside our country.
The Maurice Bishop Patriotic Movement at this time has a very limited objective. First of all, as a result of the invasion of Grenada, its loss of sovereignty and independence, to struggle hard to recapture the sovereignty and independence of the country. Secondly, to strugillusioned with politics, where people were no longer prepared to struggle, it is obvious that we have come a long way. We believe that it will take a little while but we believe that we will build a strong national movement in Grenada that will take power in the interests of the working people.
Maurice Bishop remains a hero and martyr in our country as are the other outstanding people who were killed with him. We find we have been greatly en couraged because on October 19 last, we were able to mount the biggest ever political meeting to take place in Grenada since the invasion.
Q. In this meeting, in fact, you stated that some important errors were made during the revolution. What were these?
A. As to your question about free. dom, about what errors we commited. I think of course no new mechanism is perfect, humanly perfect. Therefore, as people and as systems we always learn by our errors. If we admit our errors honestly, we will be able to go forward with greater clarity.
In this connection, we regard the fact that we maintained a rather restricted membership structure within: the New Jewel Movement, made it more susceptible to ultra-leftist tendencies. So, with the MBPM we are going to ensure that the membership is open to all demo. crats, all workers, all progressives, all revolutionaries, and even some of the people who were instrumental in overthrowing the revolution in the sense that many of the people did not have the information; they instinctively followed the line of the party (the NJM) at the time.
Membership will be open on one condition: that they did not commit any vulgar crimes against the people, at the time of the most difficult period. Only then, will they be able to participate in the democratic struggle to rid ourselves of the invaders as well as trying to struggle for the restoration of democracy and national unity.
Q. How do you see the period after the elections? What is the MBPM's per-
.1 spective for action?
A. The period alter the general elec tion, irrespective of its outcome, will be a very, very difficult period. Of course, I cannot pontificate or predict the outcome, or the future. But what I do know is that we are working hard, assiduously, to put on the agenda once again all the continued on page 27
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