St. George’s, Grenada December 19th, 2011: The NNP Shadow Minister for Trade and Business Development and Caretaker for the Town of St. George Nickolas Steele has the following communication for the Minister for Finance.

1: The stakeholders that are involved in the budget consultation have been in Grenada all year. The Members of the Private sector, in particular all the Organizations that represent the Grenada Private Sector Organisation, and all other entities that are participating in the Budget consultation have all been doing business in Grenada for the entire year. The NDC government and its leadership team have been in charge for the entire year.

2: We have all been very much aware of the Global and regional financial situation, all year. It is not something that has appeared in the last month or two.

3: We have all been aware of the pending year end and the fact that estimates of revenues and expenditures must be prepared for 2012. In fact all of us would have completed estimates of revenues and expenditures for 2012 by now, as we are responsible individuals with a mandate or responsibility to our stakeholders/shareholders.

So the question is why is the budget delayed for “consultation” if every one that needed to be consulted was on island, readily available with the situation and deadline known to all?

Mr. Steele asks the Minister for Finance to acknowledge the fact that he has dropped the ball and as such will not have an estimate of Government Revenues and Expenditure ready in a timely manner.

Mr. Steele therefore asks the Minister to acknowledge the fact that we the people of Grenada, the stakeholders to whom he is answerable, are aware of this and will work with him to get us out of this predicament. We will work with him because we do not have a choice at this point in time and this is our beloved homeland that he has let down. We will work with him because we as a peace loving, resilient and proud people have always been willing to work with our democratically elected government and it’s appointed Cabinet of Ministers.

We are however very much aware that it is his failure to produce the necessary environment for consultation in a timely manner that now forces us to accept a budget presentation in March and not January 2012.

Mr. Steele asks the Minister for Finance whether he is aware of the fact the although we are working with him to get us out of the predicament that “he” has gotten us into, we look forward to the day when a more capable individual, who will not drop the ball, is appointed the Minister for Finance.

In closing, Mr. Steele would also like to wish the staff members of the Ministry of Finance in general and in particular those who have had to burn the midnight oil so to speak, in these final days of the year a very Merry Christmas and a Happy if not Prosperous New Year.