worker Act, cannot our folds, is the outstanding success of the Grenada revolution in the task of the democratisation of our society.
of earliest acts of the revolution was the repeal of all antilaws and the enactment of democratic, progressive labour such as the Trade Union Recognition which guarantees the right of participale I trade unions of their choice. As a result, there are nearly 10,000 workers organised in trade unions today and most of these unions are developing Not democranc participa tion and education for their members.
revolution has also several steps to stimulate and make possible the participation of women in the development of our nation. There can be no talk of real democracy if half of a nation's population is either disqualified from participation or can only participate in a very limited sense. Alu tere can ve no talk or women s participation if the conditions for this participation do not exist. Our sisters participate fully unless society encourages their participation And in Grenada, in barely two and a half years of revolution, we have a proud record of measures taken to bring the women of our country fully into the development process.
Consistent with our slogan, Lands and Idle Hands An End to Unemployment', in year two of the revolution we moved to set up a National Land Reform Commission, with terms of reference to identify existing idle lands and make recommendations for their productive use.
In like manner the preparation of budget since revolution involved the participation of trade union representatives; and this year the process of deciding how our resources will be used for our national development will involve an ever wider participation.
This year the budget discussion is And the mention of these struc tures, comrades, brings us to the fact of the spectacular organisalons in our country In tae two laws and a half years of the revolution. Our National tional founded by the New Jewel Movement, NJM Young mobilising increasing numbers of our youth, our women, and our children. The youth target for this year of organising one-third of the country's young people. Our sisters in the NWO have passed the taken 6000 mark and are fast approaching their target of 7000 organised for action, participation, and development.
The revolution has fostered the for. mation of student councils in every secondary school, linked into the National Students Counci. In the village will find brigades, which, the priority needs and spearhead work on community maintenance proiects. Three weeks ago the Productive Farmers Union, one of the most unique organisations that the revolution has produced, held its first annual general meeting with its full membership of just over 1000 small and medium farmers dance.
'Idle In addition to the many organisations and action community, parish, and national level, VUI people met leadership of the country in parish and zonal councils and in workers' parish councils, where the twin principles of the accountability and responsibility of the the leadership to the people become a reality for the first time in the English-speaking Caribbean.
leadership because in its face-to-face meetings with the people it must report on the achevereis particular ministries and state bodies, it then regularly, growth of mass Organisation, NaOrganisation, both Pioneers strongest organisation is close to a community work In lack, determine education, cleaning, sister in militant Therefore, groups operating at small and poor. regularly with the own way, is accountable difficulties of They do not only glimpse their so-called representatives now and in the press, they meet them they rub shoulders with In Grenada, structures have grown up and are developing daily to ensure the real participation of people — a continuous, day-by-day process, not a seasonal exercise which changes nothing. Our democratic process is our weapon for change, for development, for the improvement of life in our country.... Dire problems Our revolution is an attempt to build a new socio-economic development model. It is an attempt to solve our problems by new methods. It is the boldest attempt, in the history of thi English-speaking Caribbean, to tackle the dire problems of underdevelopmen which so drastically affect the lives of the mass of people in our region, problem of poverty, illiteracy and poor substandard nutrition, unemployment, and all the other evils.
It is an approach which rejects some of the manifestly inadequate strategies which the ruling class in most of our islands still clinging to because these strategies are guaranteed to safeguard their own position and to yield nothing but the barest minimum of political power and material benefits to the majority of the people.
comrades, when show your support for our revolution, you are asserting with us the right of a but couraceous and determined, people to build their own process, to solve their problems in their without threatening the sovereignty of any other people, compromising their own proud and unshakable principles..
For 400 years the exploited masses of the region have struggled with dignity for bread, jobs, justice, and peace Today in Grenada, today in free and revolutionary Grenada, this struggle at last is beginning to bear fruit....
Socialist Action 26 October 1984 LAST WEEK'S talks between the FMLN-FDR and President Duarte were undoubtedly a major new