Because our country needs it. Our country is in dire need of reconciliation. The events of the last twenty years have left our people divided. The October 1983 events have created the greatest divide. Our country is too small for this kind of division to continue. We need to heal. We need to reunite. We need to reconcile. In Grenada most people are family. And everybody knows everybody. We need to get rid of the problem, which constantly divides us.

Several Are Innocent

Several of them are innocent and should never have been in prison in the first place. Many people are aware that Christopher Stroude, Lester Redhead and Cecil Prime had nothing to do with the killings. Many also know that the evidence upon which ten others were convicted was fabricated. Without that evidence they would all have been freed.

True Healing Requires It

There could be no genuine national reconciliation while the seventeen remain in prison. While they remain there

• The issue of their freedom will always come up
• The issue surrounding their trial will always come up
• The ban against them taking their case to the Privy Council will always come up
• The failure of the Appeal judges to produce a written judgement will always come up.

Each time these issues come up and as the debate about the future of the seventeen is prolonged the deep wounds to the psyche of the nation would be constantly re-opened. Healing would never be possible.

Investment Environment Would Be Improved

Each time the issue of the seventeen comes up, the outside world would be reminded that there are still major problems from Grenada's past which remain unresolved. Grenada's image of instability and unpredictability would be constantly reinforced as the outside world is reminded that leading members of a former government and army, which was only defeated by a military invasion, remain locked up in a prison overlooking the capital. This could only serve to arouse doubts in the minds of investors who are concerned about long term stability. Freeing the Grenada 17 would therefore improve the investment environment in Grenada and strengthen Grenada's competitiveness in the effort to mobilise scarce investment resources to develop the country. Prolonging the issue would only harm that environment.

They Pose No Threat

They pose no threat to the national security of Grenada. They have openly declared that they have ended involvement in politics permanently. Most of them want to live outside Grenada. Their sole desire is to reunite with their families and undertake the process of healing the wounds arising from their long separation.

They have admitted their wrongs and have asked for forgiveness. They have publicly apologised to the families of the victims of October 1983, to the hundreds of people who were detained during the revolution, to others who were wronged, and to all the Grenadian people.

No one who saw and heard their apologies can doubt the genuineness of their remorse and contrition.

What is clear is that we are dealing with well meaning intelligent people who made great sacrifices to help Grenada, who contributed to the economic and social development of the country; but who made a terrible mistake under difficult circumstances in October 1983.

It is not as though they have not been punished. Indeed many have been punished even though they are completely innocent of the charges. They have already spent over 16 years in prison. They have suffered greatly. It's no longer an issue between punishment and no punishment. It's now a choice between mercifulness and mercilessness. Genuine forgiveness must involve release because genuine forgiveness cannot be merciless.

As A Christian Nation We Must Forgive

As a Christian nation we know that when a brother admits his errors and asks for forgiveness he should be forgiven.

If we are able to forgive then we would at the same time liberate ourselves from the hurt, pain and hatred. We would be able to let go. It would be an act of cleansing. We do not have to forget. But by forgiving and letting go we would be able to bring a new perspective to the events which caused the pain and hurt. By letting go we would be able to pull ourselves together to move on.

The act of forgiving would therefore make us stronger as a people. Only strong, mature and profound people are able to truly forgive. The greatest ever act of forgiveness was by Jesus Christ himself: 'Father, forgive them' were not words of weakness. Those were the most powerful words ever uttered. What better way for our nation to mark the 2000^th birthday of our Saviour than by emulating him in the act of forgiving?