page_title: Maurice Bishop
section_title: Premiership
hierarchical_section_title: Maurice Bishop / Biography / Premiership
caption_attribution_description: For documentary purposes the German Federal Archive often retained the original image captions, which may be erroneous, biased, obsolete or politically extreme. ADN-ZB Reiche 10.6.82 Berlin: Besuch Bishop Die Partei-und Regierungsdelegation Grenadas unter Leitung des Vorsitzenden des Politbüros des ZK der Neuen Jewel Bewegung und Ministerpräsidenten der Revolutionären Volksregierung Grenadas, Maurice Bishop, unternahm am 9.6. mit dem Motorschiff "Köbis"eine Seerundfahrt auf den Berliner Gewässern. Der Gast wurde von Hermann Axen, Mitglied des Politbüros und Sekretär des ZK der SED (3.v.l.), und Heinz Kuhrig, Minister für Land, Forst und Nahrungsgüterwirtschaft (l.) begleitet. Rechts; Unison Whitemann, Mitglied des Politbüros der Neuen Jewel Bewegung und Minister für Auswärtige Angelegenheiten Grenadas.
context_page_description: Maurice Rupert Bishop was a Grenadian revolutionary and the leader of New Jewel Movement – a Marxist-Leninist party which sought to prioritise socio-economic development, education, and black liberation – that came to power during the 13 March 1979 Coup that removed Eric Gairy from office. Bishop headed the People's Revolutionary Government of Grenada from 1979 to 1983, when he was dismissed from his post and shot during the coup by Bernard Coard, leading to upheaval.
context_section_description: In 1979 Bishop's party staged a revolution and deposed Gairy, who was out of the country addressing the United Nations. Bishop became Prime Minister of Grenada and suspended the constitution.
  Maurice Bishop has been styled a "brilliant communicator" whose empathy for the masses was the driving force of the "Grenadian Revolution of 1979 that overthrew the corrupt and pro-imperialist administration of Eric Gairy."
  Bishop established a relationship with Cuba after he took power. He initiated a number of projects, most significantly, the building of a new international airport on the island's southern tip (renamed in his memory in May 2009). Financing and labour for the construction of the airport came from Cuba, although most of the airport's infrastructure was designed by European and North American consultants. American President Ronald Reagan accused Grenada of intending to use the new airport's long "airstrip" as a waypoint for Soviet military aircraft. Fearful of the spread of socialism, Reagan - who had spurned Bishop's overtures for friendship - planned an invasion of Grenada.
  Among Bishop's core principles were workers' rights, women's rights, and the struggle against racism and apartheid. Under Bishop's leadership, the National Women's Organization was formed which participated in policy decisions along with other social groups. Women were given equal pay and paid maternity leave, and sex discrimination was made illegal. Organisations for education (Center for Popular Education), health care, and youth affairs (National Youth Organization) were also established. Despite its achievements, Bishop's government would not hold elections and stifled the free press and the opposition - perhaps due to fear of outside interference.
  The People's Revolutionary Army (PRA) was also formed during Bishop's administration. Critics claimed that the army was a waste of resources, and there were complaints that the PRA was used as a tool to commit human rights abuses, like torture and detention of political dissidents without trial. The establishment of voluntary mass organizations of women, farmers, youth, workers, and militia were presumed to make the holding of elections unnecessary. Moreover, it was believed that 
  elections could be manipulated by the input of large sums of money from foreign interests.
  Bishop has been quoted at length on the dynamics of democracy:
     There are those ... who believe that you cannot have a democracy unless there is a situation where every five years ... people are allowed to put an "X" next to some candidate's name, and ... they return to being non-people without the right to say anything to their government, without any right to be involved in running their country. ...Elections could be important, but for us the question is one of timing. ...We would much rather see elections come when the economy is more stable, when the Revolution is more consolidated. When more people have in fact had benefits brought to them. When more people are literate ...The right of freedom of expression can really only be relevant if people are not too hungry, or too tired to be able to express themselves. It can only be relevant if appropriate grassroots mechanisms rooted in the people exist, through which the people can effectively participate. ...We talk about the human rights that the majority has never been able to enjoy, ... a job, to decent housing, to a good meal. ...These human rights have been the human rights for a small minority over the years in the Caribbean and the time has come for the majority of the people to begin to receive those human rights for the first time."
  While Bishop introduced free public health, illiteracy dropped from 35% to 5% and unemployment went from 50% to 14%, his  weak point was tourism. He unpacked the old project of an international airport and asked his friend Fidel Castro for help.
  When Bernard Coard arrested Bishop, protesters numbering 30,000 on an island of 100,000 gathered, and even the guards joined the protest, resulting in the release of Bishop. But Bishop, knowing the 
caption: In East Berlin, 1982
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