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March 4th, 2009
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Hon. Tillman Thomas
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Prime Minister
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Ministerial Complex
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Tanteen
ST. GEORGE’S
Dear Sir,
In recent months, I have been receiving
numerous complaints from various sectors
in our society and many persons
throughout Grenada, about the social and
economic problems they have been
experiencing in recent times. I
therefore feel obliged as Leader of Her
Majesty’s Opposition to bring these
issues to your attention.
Mr. Prime Minister, the current economic
situation in Grenada is a major concern
to all. Since the second part of 2008,
the situation has been deteriorating.
In addition, many of the actions taken
by your Government have been making the
situation worse. Your Government has
sent home hundreds of workers since
assuming office. In most if not all
cases these actions do not appear to
have any correlation to the current
economic crisis but seems to be an
effort to marginalise persons who are
perceived to be supporters of the New
National Party. Additionally, hundreds
of Imani Trainees were sent home
although they were promised an increase
of $300.00 during the election
campaign. Meanwhile, the cost of living
continues to rise despite the promises.
Rather than take steps to ease the pain
felt by those affected, your Government
suspended many of the safety net
programmes created for the vulnerable
persons in our country. The price of
sand suddenly increased by almost 200%
without any justification given to those
affected, such as the prospective home
owners, businessmen, contractors and
truck men. In addition to this, many
small contractors are kept waiting more
than seven months for payment for
services provided to the Government. It
must be noted that these problems are
exacerbated by the continued attacks on
local and foreign investors which is
resulting in the further loss of jobs,
and the removal of hundreds of persons
from the Public Assistance Programme.
On the sister island of Carriacou, the
action taken against persons who had
purchased lands from the NNP
administration is a major concern to not
just the persons occupying the land but
the majority of Grenadians.
In addition to the many issues raised
above, many of our farmers are
complaining about the lack of support.
The action of your administration since
assuming office is clearly demonstrating
a lack of genuine interest in the
farmers of Grenada. The removal of the
loan scheme for the farmers (and
fishermen) and the increase in the cost
of fertilizer are indeed concerns that
need to be addressed.
I wish to also bring to your attention
some important issues relating to
health. Many Grenadians are rightfully
complaining about what are obviously
some alarming situations in the health
sector. The lack of medical supplies at
the General Hospital and the spate of
deaths in recent times are only two of
the issues creating panic. Recent
developments indicate that rather than
focus on building a new hospital, urgent
attention must be given to delivering
quality health care. I therefore
strongly recommend that an immediate
assessment of the leadership of the
Ministry of Health and the management of
the General Hospital be conducted. The
conditions under which our nurses are
working also need to be looked at
urgently as well as investigating
whether any recent changes made may be
affecting their performance in one way
or another.
Another health issue which is of major
concern, one which I have articulated
several times before, is the support for
dialysis patients. The recent actions
of your administrations seem to be
creating difficulties for those who have
to dialyze weekly. I am also certain
that a careful investigation will reveal
that the lack of support by the
Government has lead to the death of some
patients.
Finally, I wish to remind you of the
number of times that you have called for
greater consultation. I have noticed a
trend which indicates to me that your
Government does not intend to consult
with the people of Grenada on important
issues such as the renaming of the Point
Saline International Airport.
Considering all of the above, I am
pleading with you to use your good
office to address the many issues
affecting the Grenadian people and to
live up to the commitment you made
during the last election campaign to
practice transparency, accountability
and good governance.
Sincerely,
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DR. KEITH C. MITCHELL PhD, MP, PC
LEADER OF HER MAJESTY’S OPPOSITION
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