True to form, this NNP administration has shown its inability to manage a crisis and continues to simply play mind games with our people. It is quite apparent that the name of the game is to do as little as possible but make it appear that you are, as they have said, “working hard” and “doing our best”.
This is my analysis of what the Government of Grenada has published as its Covid-19 Emergency Economic Stimulus Plan.
This so-called plan has been announced with no discussion, so Keith Mitchell does not have to answer any question about what this Plan aims to achieve. The only way in which we are able to measure the effectiveness of a plan is to see if it achieves its objectives.
While there is a public debate in the Parliament of other countries about their emergency measures, the Don just jumps up into the media and dictates what the medicine is without even addressing why it is to be taken. He announces financial commitments from the Consolidated Fund without even going to Parliament.
He is in effect trying to rewrite the laws of Grenada by just huddling in a corner with his gang and then making statements just like in a Budget Speech. The Plan is empty, aimless, toothless, and just TOKEN, saying something just to say that you said something.
Now let us look at
Point 1
i. 20 million EC dollars to all these people?
ii. What are “other such identified businesses”?
iii. Well these jokers have not even yet identified the “businesses” that they are referring to.
iv. This is very deliberate so that all political supporters may be catered for under this opaque cloud.
v. Why “hospitality-based” and what is meant by “hospitality-based”?
vi. What will be the basis of the pay out and how many businesses are involved?
Point 2
i. What type of support will be offered by the Grenada Development Bank?
ii. What will be the limits of the disbursement per hotel?
Point 3
i. What working with the NIS mean?
ii. Will the Don dictate the policy to the NIS?
iii. Would it not be better to just give back to the NIS some of the millions owed by central government?
iv. How was the EC$410 million calculated and how will it operate?
Point 4
i. If this means that the NIS is to receive less money then how does this help and who does it help?
ii. What will this action stimulate?
Point 5
i.This is not part of a plan; it is simply an expression of intent. There is no action expressed here!
ii. How do you expect that to work when you have taken the unprecedented, unlawful and yet unresolved anti-worker act of deducting from workers’ pay for a few days of strike action?
iii. The high-handed acts of the Don have completely removed his moral authority to ask for this type of cooperation. The word immoral comes up again!
Point 6
i. This says nothing at all except to acknowledge that they need to try to create employment which they have been largely unable to do even outside of a crisis.
Point 7
i. While the suspension of income tax payment allows the business venture to hold on to a little more of the cash generated for a longer period of time the effect will not be significant as business activities are reduced.
ii. In any event, the period has not even been defined so this is more evidence of a lack of any plan.
Point 8
i. The same applies here as at point 7 above.
Point 9
i. This one is rather confusing because it appears to be applicable after the present crisis and not during the crisis. Will the GDB lend me some money tomorrow?
Point 10
i. The effectiveness of a price control measure is based on the monitoring mechanism that will be put in place and in this time of crisis it is obvious that such monitoring will be minimal or non-existent.
Point 11
i. This one is even more puzzling because it does not say what incentives are being planned or contemplated;
ii. The only thing that can be contemplated at this time is not a cure, because none has been found as yet.
iii. If it refers to having tests done by the private labs then the Don is simply saying that Grenadians will have to pay for their own tests because the government has no interest or capability in the area of testing.
Point 12
i. How serious is the Don on this one? In the time of crisis when you are asking people to stay at home you are now talking about sending poor people out there going from farm to farm to contract the virus and die?
ii. This the same man who has boldly and publicly decried agriculture and discouraged our youth from being involved in agriculture because, “it caused his father to remain poor”.
iii. Furthermore, this is just a plan to plan or a plan to consider giving support for farmers and fish exporters.
The Don has not decided as yet! LOL! LOL! LOL!
Point 13
i. LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL! How will he do that? No money has been appropriated to buy the Grenlec shares as yet!
ii. The only way will be to approach Grenlec and give them a cheque to cover 30 % of the invoiced amount for everyone except for “a few companies”.
iii. No money has been appropriated to make this payment to Grenlec as yet.
iv. This approach is arbitrary and unfair in the extreme because I will get a benefit of $150 on my $450 bill while the poor man will only get a benefit of $50 on his $150 bill.
v. Those who can afford to pay will benefit more which is the exact opposite to what the Don has been preaching over the years to trap poor people.
vi. In crisis the true nature of the man emerges!
vii. This is utter and undiluted nonsense and just a trick and an empty promise!
viii. Well, maybe when the Don gets the money to buy the shares, he will give us a back pay equal to 30% of what we paid for those months! LOL!
Point 14
i. This point has NOTHING to do with the Don so it should not have been included in the document from the government. It is a decision of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union governed by our Timothy Antoine.
ii. The whole document is really not worth the paper it is written on. The NNP group is completely out of their league and empty of ideas. It appears that there is now a sudden realisation that the passport selling and hotel goldmine have been compromised, maybe permanently.
God help us with this clueless and barren group of politicians.
Cajeton Hood is an attorney-at-law and served as Attorney General under the ruling New National Party government in the 2013-18 period