Freedom Reaffirmed in Grenada.

• Author: Griner, Steven

AS YOU STEP OUTSIDE the police headquarters, situated on a bluff above downtown Saint George's, you are afforded a spectacular view of the "Carenage," the harbor of the capital city. The Carenage owes its origin to volcanic eruptions thousands of years ago and is part of a chain of now-dormant volcanoes stretching through the eastern Caribbean.

Volcanic activity has endowed Grenada with fertile land that produces one-third of the world's supply of nutmeg, earning the country the title "Spice Island." Light manufacturing and tourism also contribute to a diversified economy and an employment base for Grenada's ninety-six thousand inhabitants.

The police station on the bluff, however, affords another perspective of Grenada. On October 19, 1983, after an internal rebellion within the government, Prime Minister Maurice Bishop of the New Jewel Movement was placed under arrest, led into the police station courtyard and executed. The perpetrators of the coup imposed martial law, suspending basic liberties and instituting a dusk-to-dawn curfew punishable by death.

Five days later, at the request of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, the United States landed troops to restore order. A multinational force from neighboring Caribbean countries remained after the intervention. If you look further up the mountains overlooking the Carenage, you can see the prison where those who instigated the executions are serving life sentences.

At the police headquarters, a sign above the courtyard entrance and a plaque on the bullet-scarred wall stand as the only testimony of the bloody coup, but the events of almost sixteen years ago remain vivid in the minds of most Grenadians. They can tell you where they were and what they were doing at the time. They remember the uncertainties of the Bishop government and the calamities after its fall. Most importantly, they remember the consequences of freedom denied--and cherish the democratic process now maturing in the country.

Since 1983 Grenada has had four elections, and losing parties have turned over the reins of government without incident. The country no longer has an army, and its unarmed police force is highly regarded by the citizens.

Political parties, the police, and the Parliamentary Elections Office joined forces last January 18 to conduct general elections for the fifteen seats in the country's House of Representatives. Grenada follows the Westminster system of government, calling elections before...