WORLD Sth Anniversary of Grenada’s Revolution TORONTO — “Truth, once crushed into the earth, | will rise again,” declared Don Rojas, press secretary to /martyred Grenadian Prime Minister Maurice Bishop, at ‘a meeting to mark the Sth anniversary of the Grenadian revolution. Rojas outlined the rise of the New Jewel Movement in |1973 and its struggles against the corrupt Gairy regime hich led to eventual victory on March 13, 1979 when Bishop and his comrades announced to the Grenadian people their future was now in their hands. ‘A bright new day had dawned for Grenada and the 'Caribbean,” he said. In four and one-half years, with the participation of the masses and aid from abroad the revolution’s achievements were dynamic. “Despite all efforts by Washington to smear the revo- ution, despite boycotts, threats, military maneouvres and assassination attempts, the revolution marched for- ard,”’ Rojas said. These achievements included the emergence of mass eople’s organizations, new laws protecting the people’s gains, a war on illiteracy, massive efforts to improve life hrough housing repair programs, skills training pro- Ss. The revolution succeeded in providing free education tand medical care, protection of women’s rights, ‘development of a new infrastructure including the new airport, new roads, telephone system and industries. _ Rojas described as a ‘‘catastrophe’’ the events which took place in October, 1983 bringing to a halt the revo- 5 lutionary process. ‘‘Consumed by envy and political maturity, a leftist clique served up the revolution to. eagan on a platter with all the trimmings,”’ he charged. He called the group led by Coard and Hudson ‘‘traitors’’ and charged that their actions gave Reagan ~ the opportunity he was seeking to destroy the revolution “and occupy the Island. ~ Rojas ridiculed Reagan’s claim he was ‘‘saving”’ srenada. “‘If this midnight cowboy is interested in rescu- yang, people, why doesn’t he rescue the people of Haitior ~ Chile or South Africa from brutal regimes?’’ he asked. ‘It’s time to dry | \our tears and organize’ ‘“‘Restoration of ‘democracy’ U.S.-style means the U.S. ambassador gives daily orders to Governor-general Scoon. It means repealing laws that protect people and dismantling their institutions and organizations. It means the jobless rate has risen from 12% to 33% in four months: “It means denial of civil rights, arrests, prostitution and drug abuse. It means that the $150-million in damage caused by the U.S. invasion is paid for with a few soccer balls and some candy.” ‘‘Now is the time to dry our tears. Now is the time to organize!’’, Rojas told the audience. ‘‘The Caribbean belongs to the people, not to U.S. imperialism. We want to see the region a zone of peace, independence and development. ‘*The U.S. must get out of Grenada,”’ Rojas said. ‘“We must ask: who is next on Reagan’s hit list?’’, and he called for the utmost solidarity with the valiant people of Nicaragua, El Salvador; for the struggling peoples of Namibia, South Africa and Palestine. Ricky Singh, former editor of the Barbadian-based newspaper Caribbean Contact charged that the Grenada invasion was ‘‘not a week-end decision’’ but the climax to increasing military moves by Washington in the reg- ion. Singh, who had his work permit revoked by the Tom Adams government of Barbados for his outspoken op- position to the invasion told the listeners, ‘‘Had Bishop survived I would be in St. George’s tonight and Fidel would have been there to open the new international airport built at such heavy cost.’’ Singh said he had just returned from Genada and, “‘I saw the process of re-colonization by U.S. marines who today occupy the finest beaches and hotels.’’ He also challenged Washington’s self-appointed role as world policeman and pointed out that every international world organization had opposed the invasion. The former editor pointed to the growing U.S. involvement in the Caribbean and repeated the demand of the peoples to be free to chart their own course and The death of Maurice Bishop and his comrades has taken its toll, but the work must go on... chose their own friends along the path toward sovereignty and dignity. Singh also repeated the theme of the evening that, “the work must go on’’, calling for the utmost vigilance. “Don’t kneel. Stand up!’’ he concluded. The Toronto branch of the Maruice Bishop and Oc- tober 19 Martyrs’ Foundation which was launched in January in Grenada to ‘‘ensure that the names of these heroes live on ...’’ was announced at the meeting. The Foundation will have branches in the Caribbean, North America, Europe and other parts of the world. Its work will include erecting a monument to the martyrs, the building of a centre, establishment of a fund to assist the victims of the October 19 events and other projects. More information on the fund and how you can assist can be obtained by writing the Foundation at P.O. Box 315, Postal Station ‘O’, Toronto, Ontario M4A 2N9. nd ip 4 S a = : International Focus Tom Morris y VO - ng . . . . . | The church forexample, there areover 700 itis.a force pressing them back _ Caribes, loaded ~— with and the state church construction projects into the rational world from medicines — for Nicaragua, | under way. whose terrors they had es- struck a mine. At last report en What would be the reaction Cardinal Glemp travels to caped in the first place by em- __ the crew was struggling to save is by the public in Winnipeg, Rome, Pope John Paul visits bracing lies ...’’ the cargo as water flooded the om Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa Poland. There’s nothing other This week in Washington, _ ship’s holds. of or any other Canadian centre if than a privileged position for watching the dirty, deranged More of Reagan’s morality of _areligious group insisted on its the Catholic church in that wheeling and dealing of the —this coming from aman who od = “‘right”” to have its symbol country. White House, that passage invoked God 18 times in a re- he = hanging in public buildings, Catholics have every right came to mind. cent speech. ve schools and factories? and opportunity to practice Trying to push a $93-million ‘ That’s what the Catholic their religious beliefs. What the military appropriation for the “We want food, at. churchin Poland is asking. The government is saying is: non- El Salvador military through pot guns.. 3 id. ~=—s so-called ‘‘war of the cruci- Catholics have rights too. Congress, the Reagan gang at- ‘Oarbanaiiand fruit ne —s fixes” is the latest effort by ‘“Schools will remain lay tached the bill toa $150-million econemicsmen eta oes 0 what Polish Government institutions,’ Urban. told a emergency food relief bill for histhie? nigussune St Wine Je spokespersons call ‘‘militant press conference last week. Africa. ee = ¥ tebe another: 0 expansive clericalism’”’ to op- It’s a twist of irony that Along with that, to ram a “We TAAL and an inter: 4 while the Catholic Establish- $21-million arms package for pational airport. We want e| USA: Reagan’s raiders. ment in Poland fights to retain the CIA-backed contras in university scholarships ab- [| its one-sided influence on Pol- their campaign to destroy road. We want food, tech- E | pose a 1961 law prohibiting the ish public life, Reagan has Nicaragua, the same crew in nology and cash, not guns.” . display of religious objects i launched a campaign to over- Washington attached that bill What has alarmed these wv public buildings. throw a U.S. Supreme Court — to one for $200-million to aid writers and many more, is the q The law is based on the pre- eae mare is i cues low income U.S. families for rapid U.S. militarization of the = | -mise that the separation of °fthechurchinthe U.S.public energy assistance. i Caribbean islands. Following 4 church and state is an impor- SChool system. : __ The message is clear: if you on his rape of Grenada, Reagan 4 tant principle. As government It's Reagan’s own version of support aid to Africans who _ has boosted arms shipments to 4 spokesman Jerzy Urban put it; the “war of the crucifixes’’. are hungry or Americans who island governments to $15-mil- — POLAND: Whose rights? “The state does not try to se- cularize church buildings and the church should not try to — clericalize state buildings ...” That is not religious perse- cution. In Poland the Catholic church operates with full free- dom. It has its own news- papers, radio broadcasts and a massive organization. Today, Truth and the deranged A few years back I wrote down a passage from a book that seemed to be one of those gems: “The truth has always been a red flag for the deranged ... are freezing, you'll vote for weapons to kill Nicaraguans and Salvadoreans. Reagan’s morality in full bloom. Another example of what this means to the struggling people of Nicaragua was seen the very moment the bill was being debated: the 4000-ton Panamanian freighter Los PACIFIC TRIBUNE, MARCH 21, 1984 ¢ 9 lion — 75 times 1981’s sum. Green Berets are training local police and army units in so-called ‘‘counter-insur- gency’’, another term for home-grown repression against movements for na- tional liberation. When faced with social injustice, the cow- boy reaches for his gun.