The Hard Truth: Part 2 - Prime Minister: James Mitchell - A Criminal Saboteur.

We learnt on July 30th 1984, the Milton Cato's Labor Party Government lost the general election, to James Mitchell: New Democratic Party. James Mitchell ran on the political platform that he will create one thousand (1000) new jobs in the first one hundred (100) days, in political office as Prime Minister.

It must be noted, Sir. James Mitchell, failed to create any new jobs. even after his political party, controlled the resources of St. Vincent and the Grenadines for seventeen years. What is also important to note is, James Mitchell was the Prime Minister for those seventeen years, yet he never created a new job. Instead, his direct and indirect actions caused between ten to twenty thousand (10 - 20,000) Vincentians to lose their jobs. This number represents a very significant fraction in our comparatively small population.

We also learnt, there was a blatant effort to discredit the Sugar Factory and its operations. Someone who was suspected to be James Mitchell; distributed pieces of rusted metal to selected shopkeepers within the Kingstown area, with the instructions and who in turn, put the same into the packages of sugar, purchased by citizen of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

When he was question by my father Hamilton about the allegations of rusted metal showing up in the sugar, P.M. Cato, assured my father, it was impossible for that to happen. He also told my father, who was his trusted friend, when he first heard of people discovering pieces of metal in the product that came from the Sugar factory, he paid a visit to the sugar factory, to review the operations to see what could be done to improve the quality of the product.

The Sugar factory technical staff showed P. M. Cato, the process of sifting the sugar, the process by which they were able keep each grain of sugar the same size. As well as, the process by which they can enlarge or reduce the size of the sugar grains. From his understanding of the technical staff explanation, PM Cato was quite satisfied, it was totally improbable and impossible for any such metal to bypass the sifting process.

But why would the factory technical staff; lied about a flaw in the system, to the man, who has the authority, to order and ensure they get the finances needed, to correct the flaw? Why would they go out of their way, to accuse someone, naming ex Primer and the then leader of the opposition: James Mitchell, as their suspect, the one who was believed to sabotaged the credibility of the operation, of the Sugar factory in order to defamation the factory's operations?

Lest older heads forget and for the information of the younger people, who were too young to remember or those who were not born at the time of these events; lest they remain in ignorance; I will explain.

Sir James Mitchell was venomously against the coming on stream of the sugar factory project; from the time he learnt about it from PM Cato. Sir James, showed his total disapproval of the project. Therefore, to show his disapproval to the project; the Opposition Leader: James Mitchell started a one-man, nation-wide campaign, against the project. Opposition leader Mitchell traveled the length and the breath of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, bringing to the nation's attention, his disapproval of P.M. Cato's purchase of a Sugar Factory from Guyana.

Opposition Leader: James Mitchell’s talking point was as follows: "Prime Minister Cato is wasting Tax Payers money to buy an old sugar factory from Guyana". Opposition leader James Mitchell was disingenuous in his propagation of the information. He did not discuss anything else. It was clear Sir. James Mitchell had a bigger, dishonest agenda behind his campaign.

Sir James never touched on nor did he disputed the fact the Sugar factory would be responsible for the following:

1. The diversification of the nation's Agro-industrial, (It was here James Mitchell got his political promise of Agriculture Diversification).

2. Create even more employment for the citizen of St. Vincent and the Grenadines,

3. Get new farmers into the business of farming.

4. Provide hundreds of new Jobs direct

(a). factory workers

(b). Cane cutters

(c). Field hands,

(d). transportation workers etc.

The question is why did The Rt. Hon. Milton R. Cato purchased a decommissioned sugar factory from Guyana? Please remember I said decommissioned sugar factory. Decommission means - Taken out of service or operations,

The truth was; because of Milton Cato's vision and hard work, St. Vincent and the Grenadines economy, was doing extremely well, we were second strongest economy in the Caribbean; second only behind Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago were ahead of us for two reasons. The first reason was like The Rt. Hon. Milton Cato, Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister Mr. Eric Williams was Vincentians (my mother’s very good friend from childhood to adult) and The twin island state suddenly became oil rich.

While St. Vincent and the Grenadines were experiencing very strong economic bloom the Guyana economy was badly ailing. The Guyana Government solicited help from St. Vincent and the Grenadines government as well as other Government within the region. Most of the other Government who could help found ways to. It is critically important you pay attention to this part of the discourse that will proceed.

Milton Cato wanted to answer the call for several reasons, to help one of our Caribbean neighbor and brother country in economic troubles and would also benefit St. Vincent and the Grenadines tremendously.

The Rt. Hon. Milton Cato was well aware of the long and stellar history and relationship St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Guyana shares and the way Guyana opened its doors, to the citizens of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the nineteen fifties (1950s) and the nineteen sixties (1960s), when Guyana's economy was bursting at is seams. Their economy was doing extremely well.

Let us not forget Guyana is the Africa of the West. Not in size but in mineral and precious metal and precious stones. During this period of plenty in Guyana, many Vincentians went to Guyana as the custom were. They went to make a better life for themselves and their families. Although many return to St. Vincent and the Grenadines with years of monies the saved. Monies they accumulated, from their hard work in Guyana and their minor children.

I speak of people like the Gaymes of Layou and Kingstown the Olton and the Barker of Arnos Vale and the James of Georgetown in St. Vincent and the Grenadines; children who were born in Guyana. They also left behind many adult children, some who were born in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and others who were born in Guyana, (My friend the Olton and the Barkers of Arnos Vale and the James of Georgetown in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, all still have siblings in Guyana to this date) who have become a part of the Guyana's tapestry and decided the will make Guyana their homes.

By the time the nineteen eighties (1980s) were ushered in, the Vincentian populations in Guyana had grown exponentially. It made up of original Vincentians who did not follow the tradition to return home but found their life partner in Guyana and opt to make Guyana their home.

I call to mind people like my father's little brother uncle Cecil Palmer; also known as "The Joker, one of St. Vincent and the Grenadines boxing champions and national boxer, who left St. Vincent and the Grenadines for Guyana in the nineteen fifties (1950s) and choose to make Guyana his home, after he got married to a Guyanese woman and started his family.

There were also a large population; of first, second and third generation Vincentians, who were born in Guyana all of whom had a legal claim to St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

By the early nineteen eighties (1980s), the with the trouble within the Guyana's economy, there began an exodus of Vincentians, who lived in Guyana back to St. Vincent and the Grenadines with their families. As well as the children and Grand Children of Vincentians who were born in Guyana return to the land of their parent’s birth, the land they had a claim to.

There were those who had a claim to real estate, land and other properties that belonged to their parents and grandparents; their inheritance, they were returning to.

The Rt. Hon. Milton Cato knew if the repatriation of Vincentians from Guyana was not properly managed, it could put serious stress upon our booming but fragile economy, undo all the hard work he did and take away the good life Vincentians were experiencing at the time.

By this time in St. Vincent and the Grenadines there were many Vincentians that spoke with Guyanese accent. They found employment at the Campden Park Industrial Estate, as nurses, police officers, teachers, they were even street vendors.

This was one of the ways P.M Cato managed the repatriation to St. Vincent and the Grenadines of Vincentians who lived in Guyana and their families. In addition to other help, PM Cato purchased a decommissioned Sugar Factory from the Government of Guyana, for one million EC dollars. Far more than the factory was worth. Let it be known, the Sugar Factories were not decommissioned because they were old and unproductive; they were not.

However they were decommissioned, because Guyana had many sugar factories and with their economic decline; they could not afford to operate most of the factories. therefore, they were taken out of operations.

By this time in the History of Guyana, their dollar had been greatly devalued, therefore one million EC dollars went a very long way. With the help of the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the other Caribbean government and the hard work of Guyanese, their economy began to recover. It was the recovery of the Guyanese economy that stemmed, the full repatriation of nationals back to their country of origin.

Let it be known, St. Vincent and the Grenadines were not the only country that were being affected by the repatriation, which was resulted from the struggling Guyana economy. When Guyana was doing well, they opened their doors, to people from all over the Caribbean even Trinidadians and Tobago.

We can all conclude that Milton Cato was a thinking Prime Ministe