The Man in the Gray Fedora

By George Russell

In their first post-invasion ballot, voters pick a moderate

For Grenada, election day 1984 dawned as a tropical idyl: clear skies and sunshine, with brief spells of rain to break the sultry Caribbean heat. The splendid morning weather helped make a large turnout seem as inevitable as the arrival of the winter cruise ships in St. George's, the capital. At churches, schools and even discotheques, 85% of the island's 48,000 voters lined up for their first free elections since 1976. The balloting was described by an observer from the Organization of American States as "flawless." So, from the point of view of the Reagan Administration, was the outcome. Thirteen months after the U.S. invasion of their island, Grenadians decisively rejected the kind of political radicalism that prompted that intervention, and instead gave a resounding mandate for moderation.

The landslide winner, with 59% of the vote, was the centrist New National Party, led by Herbert Blaize, 66, a cautiously conservative former head of government whose political career on the island stretches back for decades. The N.N.P. won 14 of the 15 seats in Grenada's new House of Representatives. A day later, Blaize, who sported a new gray fedora on the way to the ceremony, was sworn in as Prime Minister at York House, Grenada's yellow brick, Georgian-style government building. He then thanked voters for "showing in such a massive way that they are willing to take command of their own affairs."

The big loser, with 36% of the ballot, was the Grenada United Labor Party, led by Sir Eric Gairy, 62, the country's first Prime Minister after independence in 1974 and an eccentric, authoritarian figure whose unsavory political history made his possible comeback a cause of much concern in Washington. G.U.L.P. won the remaining parliamentary seat, but then rejected it, alleging electoral fraud. Gairy offered a novel theory to buttress his charges of cheating. According to him, the ballots had been treated with a special chemical that was able to change votes to favor the winners. "Science and technology today is so high that I have no reason to doubt this," said Gairy, who once urged the United Nations to investigate unidentified flying objects.

Almost completely ignored by voters was the Maurice Bishop Patriotic Movement, the remnant of the revolutionary New Jewel Movement, which seized power from Gairy in 1979. The M.B.P.M., headed by former Industrial Development Minister Kendrick Radix, was named after Maurice Bishop, the charismatic New Jewel founder who was assassinated by a hard-line faction of his leftist party six days before U.S. troops arrived on Grenada. The trial of 19 former New Jewel members for the murder of Bishop, 39, and ten of his followers was stalled last week by procedural wrangling.

The Reagan Administration's satisfaction at the election outcome was undisguised. A State Department spokesman hailed the islanders for concluding "a yearlong process aimed at putting Grenada firmly back on a democratic path." Said the spokesman: "We look forward to cooperating with the new government." The Administration asserted that despite the continuing presence of 225 U.S. servicemen on Grenada, it had tried to stay out of the contest. Said a U.S. official: "We maintained a hands-off policy. But anyone who knows anything at all about Grenada knew that a moderate party was the best bet. What everybody wanted was a government that was neither leftist nor a brutal, corrupt, fruitcake regime that would pave the way for another radical takeover."

Despite the size of Blaize's triumph, he was never considered a sure winner. Indeed, only two months before the balloting, the dominant political mood in Grenada appeared to be apathy, especially among political moderates. The N.N.P. was hastily cobbled together from three rival Grenadian parties only last August. During the low-key, three-month campaign, Blaize and his supporters emphasized the themes of economic development and safeguards against the abuse of power, while Gairy's G.U.L.P. ran under the slogan "Americans must stay forever." New Jewel loyalists tried to whip up sentiment over alleged CIA interference in the elections, and staged rallies honoring their murdered leader.

Despite the official U.S. neutrality, Blaize benefited from outside help. A variety of private Caribbean, West European and U.S. organizations, including the AFL-CIO and a number of conservative public-interest lobbies, funneled money into Grenada to heighten civic awareness and get out the vote. Local taxi drivers were paid as much as $130 on election day for carrying citizens to the polls. The assistance was nonpartisan, but the enlarged turnout probably helped Blaize to defeat the remnants of Gairy's Boss Tweed-style political machine.

The winner's other great advantage was his reassuring lack of charisma. As he puts it, "I'm just an ordinary guy who believes in the Lord and trusts in him for support." The son of a laborer, Blaize was born on Grenada's sister island of Carriacou and moved to Grenada in 1930 to attend secondary school. A bicycle accident two years after graduation left him briefly paralyzed; as a result he suffers from degenerative arthritis and walks with the aid of a cane.

A onetime clerk for a U.S. oil company in Aruba, Blaize first won a seat in Grenada's colonial Parliament in 1957. In 1960 he served as the island's interim Chief Minister for 14 months before losing an election to Gairy. When his opponent was forced out of office 18 months later for "financial irregularities," Blaize won a five-year term as government leader. During that time he took a correspondence course in law, finally earning a degree after ten years. Critics claim that Blaize's first term was uninspired; supporters answer that his patience and caution now make him the perfect national healer. Says George Brizan, a victorious N.N.P. parliamentary candidate: "People are not prepared to experiment with their lives any more."

Blaize's chief priority will be revving up the stagnant Grenadian economy, which is burdened with as much as 40% unemployment. Once again his success will depend heavily on outside help: 70 or so private investment projects, most of them involving U.S. businesses, were put on hold until the election results were known. Nonetheless, the new Prime Minister's first official act was a characteristic display of caution. He asked President Reagan and five neighboring governments to extend until March the stay of their peacekeeping forces on the island, while his government carries out a review of security requirements. Said Blaize: "This is a small country. Anything that would make a ripple on a big pond would upset us a great deal." -By George Russell. Reported by Bernard Diederich/St George's

With reporting by Bernard Diederich/St George's