THE DEATH| Bishop is a tragedy for the Grenadian revolution, the whole revolutionary process in Central America and the Caribbean socialists throughout world. For over four years he was leader of the tionary process in Grenada, giving hope and inspiration to the oppressed peoples of the Caribbean. The crocodile tears shed by imperialism are an insult to the struggle he led.
The circumstances surrounding his death are confused. With the United States invasion, the real facts of the internal dissension within the NJM and the precise circamstances of his killing may never be known.
What is certain is that from the days of his return to Grenada in 1970 after his legal studies in LonThe was an immensely popular re on the island. He and other Ents returning ht with them the ideas of the power movement. In 1973, of Maurice for for the revolunamed, was thugs.
The formed, Wing up for the everywhere. He, pressures determined their own future.
at that time have come Socialist Action 4 November 1983 along with his legal colleague Kendrick Radix, he set up an opposition organisation called the Movement For Assemblies of the People and began work amongst what he called 'the masses'. With the other leaders of the New Jewel Movement which grew out of MAP, Bishop received brutal treatment at the hands of the Gairy dictatorship. In 1974, his father, Rupert, revolution, after whom the main army garrison shot by Gairy's After the revolution he became Prime Minister in the new People's internal Revolutionary Government which taking responsibility, not just as a figurehead, for crucial areas of the islands development as the NJM set out on the path to socialism. He became a world wide ambassador for Grenada also tak- legislative support for Cuba, for revolutionary forces of the FMLN/FDR in El half Salvador, for oppressed peoples and his govern- The ment, refused to bow to the threats of imperialism they made their own friends and revolution:
Now his tragic killing has been followed by the US invasion. But Whatever the disagreements that out in recent weeks within the New Jewel Movement, Day 1980. and within the People's Revolutionary Government, there can be no excuse for the bloody consequences of the disagreements. The Cuban condemnation is absolutely correct. The lesson is that real proletarian democracy is not an optional extra for a revolution but a crucial component.
Despite the positive gains of the there was no real democracy within the NJM and only a consultative process with the population as a whole. The NJM does not possess the structures of by which disputes may be resolved.
The last reported words of Maurice Bishop when a demonstration released him from house arrest were, cryptically, 'The masses'. If the masses had been allowed a real decision making role, then the US threat of invasion, a real threat for four and a years, might have become actuality.
Grenadian revolution might still be on course, and Comrade Maurice Bishop might still be alive to give the battle cry of the 'Forward Ever, Backward Never.' We print opposite his inspiring speech on solidarity with the victory of the revolution: Together we shall win! given in Havana on May THE IMPERIALIST INVASION of Grenada is aimed at crushing the revolutionary process begun on 13 March 1970, imperialist domination. Having assert its independence after centuries of exploitation Grenada is to be crushed.
This exploitation, French colonialists in the seventeenth century was based on plantations worked by thousands African slaves, whose descendants form the vast bulk of the island's 110,000 inhabitants. British takeover changed only which colonial power profited.
Opposition to British throughout the first half of the twenfieth century, reaching a peak in 1950 when Eric Gairy founded the Grenada Manual and Mental Workers Union (GMMWU). His first act, supported by strikes on twelve estates was to demand a 50 per cent wage increase for sugar plantation workers. Sensing mass support Gairy organised a general strike anu uie burua downdeseeot arrest then provoked mass protest and he was finally released after agreeing to calm the workers. Gairy was now the workers' hero, their undisputed leader.
He quickly took steps to transform this influence into organising the Grenada People's Party (GPP) and winning a landslide victory in the 1952 elections. He inspired pride and rebellion in the Grenadian people shaking rule by the plantation owners to the foundations.
Colonial But the planters were not beaten They refused to accept Gairy and set about undermining his power. A further general strike was a failure, Gairy relying on rhetoric rather than politics and programme. His lack of a national strategy led to compromise with the colonial government and his support fell away. The hero became part of the problem, his own vanity and eccentricities, spending his spare time practising witchcraft, doing helped maintain him in power.
Electoral support vanished in 1957 with the election of the Grenada National Party (GNP) led by former henchman, Herbert Blaize. But the GNP did not have the answers to Grenada's problems any Gairy as the net income of the planters rose 170 per cent while agricultural pay rose only unemployement was 42.6 per cent.
Gairy got back power in the 1967 elections and in the next twelve years ran an increasingly oppressive dictatorship marked by economic deterioration, domestic repression and personal corruption. The Labour Party (GULP), as the GPP had been renamed, maintained its power by electoral fraud.
But the 1960s also brought to the Caribbean the Black Power movement young radical returned home from education in Britain and the United States. So, in 1970, Maurice Bishop, just back from law studies in Britain led demonstrations in solidarity with unyeiled and re-establishing neo-colonial begun to CHRARAARASTRTO begun by LWU drick Whiteman.
rule gren tion to Gairy.
convened Evicting power, savagely Gang. elements Gairy Wing the strike, DrOKeI uP began Grenadian developing tions for increasingly concerned with parliamentary favours for those who Gairy's military Gairy more than Meanwhile, population the United Government.
intellectuals rebellions Trinidad, denouncing Gairy and calling for 'more jobs now'.
To cope with this new threat, Gairy the Mongoose Gang - { paramilitary squad of criminal thugs. They were shortly followed by the night ambush squad and other organisations as Gairy's favourite pastime became creating new arms of the repressive In response, the new opposition began to organise itself, initially into organisations: Movement for assemblies of the People (MAP) led by Bishop and his lawyer colleague KenRadix, JEWEL (Joint Endeavour for Welfare, Education anc Liberation) led by economist Unisor In March 1973 the groups fused into the New Jewel Movement (NJM), not a marxist party, nor yet one which considered the revolutionary seizure of power, but one which took up the central concerns of opposiBrutality Events moved rapidly as the NJM two People's Congresses, each attended by 10,000 islanders, conGairy of corruption, competence and brutality and calling for him to resign within two weeks or face a general strike.
The strike was called but six main leaders of the NJM were arrested and beaten by the Mongoose At this point, anti-Gairy amongst the bourgeoisie formed the Committee of 22 and the strike began on 19 November, 1973.
survived, _oul a more serious strike began on 1 January, 1974. Durwhich was eventually Grenada was granted in dependence from Britain on 7 February Learning from this failure, the NJM to organise and educate the people more effectively, support groups in every village and town, establishing organisawomen systematically organising its work in unions and amongst the unemployed. An electoral alliance with the GNP won TCUICCLaLUl in 1976 but blatant fraud kept Gairy in power Realising parliament was a farce and that an electoral strategy would not succeed, the NJM organised a secret wing, the People's Revolutionary Army (PRA).
left the country early in March 1979 to further his research into Unidentified Flying Objects leaving instructions for the execution of the NJM leadership. The response was rapid and decisive as the NJM in the early hours of 13 March seized the army barracks and radio station. The response of the was equally decisive. By 4pm the island was under the control of People's Revolutionary Creating socialism was not seen as the immediate task but as something maelermmale ruture. Mean• while the plan was for a mixed economy in which the state sector would be dominant. Initial plans to nationalise banks for example, were dropped although tion. Even so, the immediate acts of the were a whole series of pro. working class laws and measures aimed
of