Dear Editor,
Caribbean citizens are uncommonly proud of nurturing remarkable statesmen, harbouring unusual political conundrums and throwing up more than their fair share of idiosyncratic political leaders. ‘Son’ Mitchell stands out among the crowd even in this special region. Sir James ‘Son’ Mitchell’ is undoubtedly one of the remarkable characters of the English Caribbean. He is notable for his success as national politician, as a regional leader with extra-regional influence and for the energy he demonstrated in the pursuit of his and his region’s goals. Like many Caribbean leaders, James Mitchell was charismatic and that latter characteristic as well as his humour were partly attributable, I suppose, to a range of experiences – agronomist, school-teacher, researcher etc – which fed his story-telling penchant. All of this meant that he was very entertaining – around a table, on the podium, or at the hustings. He first came to office as premier of St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) in political circumstances which at that time were rather unusual – attaining the Premiership as an independent MP with a single seat and no Party and its MPs in tow – but are not now unfamiliar in the region.
One of my early notable experiences with ‘Son’ Mitchell took place in Caracas prior to a regional meeting in 1984/5. On arriving at the hotel hosting the meeting, I encountered him and PM Eugenia Charles in conference, a huddle actually, in the lobby. I approached and greeted them and they in turn said hello and the Dominica PM asked why I had not attended the recent CDB meeting at which an exercise I initiated a few weeks prior was to have been followed up. I explained that I had been committed to attending a meeting of Regional Planning Agencies scheduled for the same period. In response to my question about how the meeting went, Mitchell‘s retort was, “who was that man you sent with all those fancy words and stilted language? Imagine that man tell us, ‘we are estopped from servicing or re-paying our debts!’”. He had just met our inimitable Deputy Chairman of the State Planning Commission, W. Haslyn Parris, and was not impressed……… as yet! The other encounter that I recall involved President LFS Burnham and the newly elected PM Mitchell. It gave rise to bountiful sparks as a result of a less than diplomatic comment he made about Walter Rodney’s treatment and elections issues in Guyana. After a few sharp exchanges, LFSB dismissed him. But Mitchell was not so easily disposed of and the Chairman, PM George Chambers of T&T had to ensure the situation did not escalate.
I mention those early events because they offer something of an insight into the man, James Mitchell. He could be very candid and undiplomatic and was not easily overawed or intimidated. On the other hand, the events were no indication of how his relationship with Guyana and its leadership would evolve. He maintained a very strong interest in Guyana and the well-being of its citizens and, as far as can be determined, that interest was very genuine. He remained interested in Guyana, and he was always very supportive of Guyana’s cause. The world is aware of the role he played in assisting Hugh Desmond Hoyte to make peace with the region and its concerns about Guyana elections. He did this with the aid of his ‘Mustique Magic’ (Mitchell, 2nd Commemoration Speech on the Occasion of HDH death anniversary). His interest and assistance did not end there, however. Few citizens will be unaware of the support that Caribbean leaders lent to Guyana in the struggle to secure external support for its Economic Recovery Programme (ERP 1987-92) and to bridge its financing gaps. However, today few can recall the role that James Mitchell, along with John Compton of St Lucia and Eugenia Charles of Dominica in particular, played in mobilizing Caribbean and multi-lateral support for Guyana in that fight and, more specifically, for sustainable debt rescheduling terms in relation to those debts accumulated by Guyana since the 1950s and compounded by declines in foreign exchange earnings following the post-1979 sugar and commodity price collapses, the fiscal imbalances due to failure to adjust and the labour scandal of the 1979 and early 1980s.
Mitchell and Caribbean Heads in general were very supportive of the Economic Recovery Programme (ERP) which helped restore Guyana standing in the international financial community and which re-established internal economic balances. Mitchell’s engaging and forceful style was distinctive and it was invaluable. He, like the other Heads, would willingly incorporate the texts we drafted for his statements on behalf of St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) and those on behalf of the Caribbean when it was his turn to deliver on the region’s behalf. Additionally, he would, without prompting, raise the matters in his own national meetings with bilateral, EU Ministers and with Heads of the Multilateral Financial Institutions with which he engaged for SVG. The OECS leaders were not the only ones to play that supportive role but he was the most energetic of the OECS Heads. He would, from time to time ask me to accompany him in order to emphasise the point. His commentaries attest to the forcefulness and commitment he demonstrated in this regard, but I was impressed not only by his resoluteness, but this eye for careful preparation. In my briefing of him prior to his engagements, he demonstrated a good eye for planning and preparation
The OECS heads coordinated their approach to foreign affairs and development assistance, and prior to the ACP Ministerial and ACP Heads meetings, they were briefed. As the Secretary General ad interim of the ACP Group of States, I was invited to many of these, sometimes intense and highly charged, sessions. He would prod and push whatever issue he took up. Those included the Group’s main preoccupations which were the plight of the LDCs, banana price and quota, Stabex now forgotten, sugar price and quotas and financial assistance for the region as well as assistance for Guyana. Outside of bananas, Mitchell has been acknowledged for his contribution to maintaining Caribbean solidity and in helping to calm some of the more extreme reactions to at least one regional or national crises. We were provided with some insights into the personalities and line-ups involved in some of these issues in his presentation for the HD Hoyte Memorial Lecture. In most of his interventions, PM Mitchell always took the opportunity to capture and hold listeners attention with some kind of story drawing on some experience or reading which he had had, and that could range from soil science to the biblical and they were usually very funny. He read widely and was witty and in debates was superb at repartee.
Although a first glance PM Mitchell’s humour and ready wit could give the impression that he was simply flippant and superficial, the truth was the contrary. He was a very serious person and could be very profound. He had a pre-occupation with national elections. In his commentaries on the Guyana condition he was especially concerned by the plight of the Guyanese people. He was a committed non-socialist, and was critical of what he saw as socialist influenced centrist policies of Guyana Governments. He argued that Guyana needed dissolution of power from the centre and saw regionalisation as an antidote to the tendency to these centrist policies. In calling for reform and the need to address the calming of tensions in Guyana, he observed that, “no system that entrenches misery, however constitutional, will endure” Hoyte Lecture 2008. Having served for over 16 years as PM and having lived a full life for some 80 years, Sir James Mitchell can be safely said to have played almost to the max, the cards he was dealt with by fate. What little I knew of him suggests that he would feel that he had not only done his best, but had left the region a better place than where he and his peers had found it. I was happy to learn that he had been able to utilise the time retirement allowed in his picturesque vantage point in the Grenadines to set his thoughts to paper. We in Guyana are among the beneficiaries of his energies, his forceful personality of this sincere son of the region. We are thankful that he was able to devote some of those attributes to enthusiastically and sincerely helping to relieve the plight of Guyana’s citizens. James Mitchell was known for the intensity of his views, his wit and well developed sense of humour. To Guyana, he was a friend in deed and a man of sincerity.
Sincerely,
Carl B. Greenidge
Former Minister of Finance, Planning (and Trade)
SG ad interim of the ACP Group of States
