The Island Holds Its Breath: Maurice Bishop Under House Arrest
By Friday October 14, 1983 and the air is thick with anxiety and whispers. News breaks: Prime Minister Maurice Bishop is under house arrest.
For years, Bishop has been the face of the New Jewel Movement (NJM), the leader who swept the island into a revolutionary fervor back in 1979. Now, without warning, he's disappeared from public life, confined to his residency at Mount Wheldale.
Party leaders from the NJM scramble to manage the fallout, visiting ministries and workplaces to spin the story. Instead of calm reassurance, they face an angry, bewildered public. People demand answers—where is Bishop? Why hasn't he spoken? Some Grenadians even say, “If we can't have Bishop, we'd rather have Gairy,” referring to their previous leader, but almost nobody wants Bernard Coard, the man rumored to be Bishop's replacement. In a move to clear the air, Bernard Coard and his wife Phyllis Coard, resign from their government posts. Still, rumors swirl—assassination plots, conspiracies, and confusion grip the island.
Protest, Arrests, and a Leaderhip in Freefall
The government's internal struggle quickly spills onto the streets. On October 15th, St George's erupts in protest. Trade unionists Fitzroy Bain and Kendrick Radix rally the first anti-government demonstration since the revolution began—and Grenadians answer the call in the hundreds. The miliary keeps watch but avoids violence, keenly aware of the outside world's gaze. Foreign journalists are rounded up and expelled, while others hoping to cover the situation are denied entry. Grenada is locked down and the world is watching.
Inside government circles, the chaos deepened. Bishop's allies, Vincent Noel and Major Einstein Louison, are place under house arrest. Ministers resign in droves. As the head of the armed forces, Hudson Austin takes to the radio, listing resignations and pleading that no single leader is above the revolution. All the while, influential international figures like Fidel Castro keep a close eye, sending messages of concern and urging unit.
But Grenada is breaking apart.
Enter the Mediators: Race Against Time
With crisis mounting, Michael Als steps onto the stage. He's travelled from Trinidad, offering to mediate the growing rift between Bishop and the government's hardliners. Als becomes a kind of diplomatic detective, shuttling between Bishop, now isolated at Mount Wheldate, and Bernard Coard's camp. He presents Bishop with four (4) simple points: call for calm, meet Coard to hash out differences, squash the rumors, and explore Cuba's role as outside mediator.
Bishop is open—he wants his trusted supporters, Unison Whiteman and George Lousion, to help draft any public statement. He agrees to a meeting with Coard, but notes that Coard dodged him on his recent return from Europe. The committee's efforts stall; seven as Rupert Roopnarine from Guyana arrives to help, direct talks with Bishop are blocked.
Meanwhile, Grenadians raise their voices. Workers and students threaten strikes, chanting, “No Bishop, no work. No Bishop, no Revo.” Their determination dominates the headlines, and the government can't ignore them.
A Last-Ditch Compromise. Or is It?
After days of stalling and tense phone calls, Bernard Coard finally delivers what he calls a compromise. Bishop is expected to publicly take responsibility for the crisis and the rumors, remain Prime Minister, and continue as a member of the Political Bureau. The committee will “thrash out” party leadership in future negotiations. Bishop cautiously agrees to discuss the proposal with his allies, but time is running out. By now, George Louison is under arrest, Unison Whiteman has gone underground and is speaking out on Radio Antilles, a station outside government control.
Late at night, several NJM leaders visit Bishop with the proposal. The conversation stretches into the early hours. Bishop reviews the points, hesitating only on the demand to accept full responsibility for the crisis. He promises to give an answer by morning.
The Unraveling… and Lessons Learned
As dawn breaks on October 19th, 1983, Grenada is at a tipping point. Arrests multiply, loyalists vanish, and a government scramble becomes a headlong race against disasters. Bishop's supporters cling to hope that negotiations will save the revolutions, but events are slipping dangerously out of control.
This chapter of Grenada's story holds a powerful lesson: revolutionary dreams can falter not only by outside attack but by internal divisions, distrust, and failed communication. The drama, the heartbreak, and the turning points of October 1983 remind us that beneath every political struggle are very real lives. A truth that continues to echo on the island and far beyond.
