(Publisher’s NOTE: The publisher’s column, as such, did not begin until November of 1974, after the UBAD Party had been dissolved. The column reproduced below first appeared in the AMANDALA issue of Friday, March 29th, 1974. Written by myself, it was entitled “ABOUT DYNAMITE: From The President.” In March of 1974, the UBAD Party had been split in two from early in 1973.)  

About Dynamite: From the President

Two weeks after we returned from the States in January 1972, I went to visit a friend and supporter.  Well, this brother was really more of a NIP than UBAD.  He just didn’t like or trust the government at all.

That day when I went to see him, he seemed excited, and halfway through our conversation he became mysterious and secretive:  “Look in there and take out what you see,” he said in a lowered tone of voice, pointing to a cupboard. I did as he instructed and drew out a long cylindrical object wrapped in a BEACON newspaper.  “Open it,” he said.

I opened it. “It’s dynamite,” he said, “the dynamite from Airport. I have a whole box hereand I know where to get the rest.”

While I was in the States, the PWD depot at the Airport had been burgled and dynamite was lost.

“Do you know how to explode this?”  I asked.

“Yes, all you have to use is a battery,” he answered.

I handed it back to him. “No, take it with you,”he insisted. A sixth sense touched me, but I said what the hell. If it were now, I would listen to my sixth sense.

This was Saturday. On Monday night at our executive meeting on Euphrates Avenue a brother who was preaching the most militant UBAD of all, asked to speak to the executive and told us HE had all the dynamite. I laughed to myself.

But I didn’t laugh so much the next morning. Paramilitary soldiers invaded my home with a warrant authorizing them to search for arms, ammunition, and “subversive literature.” I was arrested and charged with possession of explosives, but not before I had instructed one of my officers to warn my man to be careful.

It never crossed my mind to suspect this brother of betraying me. My mistake was to have kept in my possession something supposed to be so dangerous. Anyway, things worked out in the end.

You see the reason I tell you all this is the whole of last year this brother and I had no contact. Last year some people were accusing me of selling out, and the trap I was in I couldn’t move one way or the other. This brother, I said to myself, going to take this thing hard. Right how I can’t explain anything to him. He can’t take it.

So it was just lately we meet, and first thing I said, “Man, I just didn’t come ‘round because they were saying a lot of things about me and I couldn’t do anything.”

He said, “The first thing I worry about is that you going to tell the government who gave you the thing.”

I laughed. “No, like I’d never do a thing like that,” I told him.

There’s many people I know in many heavy places who have helped me along the line through these few troubles we’ve had, and I guess they were worrying just like this brother was, that I would maybe go to the government and say, well, you know Mr. So and So, he’s against the government, and this that and what not.

So that’s the reason for this writing, to let these other people know it’s cool. And that’s the truth.