Left: Grenada's former Deputy Prime Minister, Bernard Coard. Right: Former General and Army Commander, Hudson Austin.

ST GEORGE'S, Grenada (CMC):

The daughter of slain former Grenada Prime Minister Maurice Bishop has extended an olive branch to her father's killers.

Nadia Bishop Tuesday night called on Grenadians to join her in forgiving former Deputy Prime Minister Bernard Coard, ex-army strong man Hudson Austin, and the other 15 people convicted for the murder of Bishop and several members of his Cabinet in 1983.

Bishop, 39, says she was speaking for herself and her family and not on behalf of other family members who lost relatives during the political unrest in October l983.

"This invitation is not designed to provide a reason to judge those who are not ready to forgive or to reconcile .It has taken me 24 years to get to his point," said Bishop, a US-based lawyer.

Timeline

"Everyone needs the time that they need and no one should be judge by anybody else's timeline, especially not the family members of those who were killed on October 19."

Political observers say her declaration is of major significance and a complete turn around from the bitterness and anger that spurred many families to publicly campaign for the killers to remain in jail for the rest of their natural life.

"I am here today because I have come to the conviction that my father would be very unhappy to know that 24 years later that the people of Grenada whom he considered his family are still fighting and having divisions amongst themselves in the name of Brother Bishop. This is not what he would have wanted".

The young Bishop was joined by Marcel Belmar, whose sister, Jema, was among those killed during the palace coup in 1983.

While Belmar, who has been at the front lines of protest against the killer's freedom from prison, has had a change of heart, other family members were said to be unhappy with the position taken by the young Bishop.

"I want to say publicly that my intentions are not to cause anyone pain,"

Bishop told the media.

The purpose

"If indeed my words today caused pain to any of the family members of those who were killed, I hope at least they understand the purpose for my being here and that at some point in the future that they can forgive me".

The California-based lawyer is appealing to persons who have been campaigning for the remains of her father's body not to feel betrayed by her request that the nation join her in forgiveness and reconciliation.

Her announcement at a news conference comes one day after she met with nine of her father's killers at the Richmond Hill Prison.

"If I can be here before you, knowing how much I hated the men who were convicted of his murder and knowing how often I sat around thinking of ways that I can do bodily harm to them, then I tell you most sincerely that anyone can transform their heart and change their consciousness to one of peace, forgiveness and reconciliation".

Bishop said the three-hour meeting with the convicted killers, was her first conversation with them since her father's death and their subsequent incarceration.

"The meeting went better than I could have hoped for. I can honestly tell you I felt joy in speaking with all of them yesterday and we mutually freed each other from the bond of negativity that has existed between us these past 24 years.

"The best word to describe what happened in that conference room at the prison yesterday is 'grace'."

Six of the 17 prisoners have already been released while the remaining 10, including Coard will be freed within three years.

The lone female prisoner, Phyllis Coard, wife of the former Deputy Prime Minister, was sent to Jamaica for medical treatment several years ago.