The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), as the new government of Grenada, has absolutely no intention of introducing a structural adjustment programme (SAP), the party's finance spokesman has affirmed. Nazim Burke says that claims by the ruling New National Party (NNP) that the NDC is planning a structural adjustment programme for the country is nothing but election scare tactics. "We must say first of all that we have no intention of introducing any new structural adjustment programmes. We must make that very clear from the very outset," said Burke, an economist and lawyer. "This choice of language and attitude on the part of the New National Party is intended merely to scare the population away from voting for the NDC." Burke, the Public Relations Officer of the NDC, and its candidate for St George North-East, said because of the "negative political connotations'' of the term "structural adjustment programme,'' the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other international financial institutions have changed the name SAP to Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) programme. "Countries that are in economic crises, of one form or another, sign on to that programme, in the same way they would have signed on to the structural adjustment programme," said Burke. "So what we have is a new name for an old programme." Burke said that two years ago the NNP government signed on to a PRGF programme, and the NNP administration is refusing to admit to the people that Grenada is in "the throes of a structural adjustment programme." The only difference, he added, is that it is called today a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility programme. "I think it is very important that the public understands this," said Burke. He explained that when the NNP signed on to the PRGF or new SAP in 2006, Grenada was required by the International Monetary Fund to comply with several conditions laid out by the IMF as a prerequisite for receiving certain cash advances to assist with fiscal relief. "If you look at the 2006 budget statement that was given by then Minister for Finance, Anthony Boatswain, in there are over 20 conditions that they must comply with," Burke said. "Those included the implementation and collection of the National Reconstruction Levy as a condition that was imposed on them by the IMF. It included the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank being allowed to come and do onsite inspection of banks, including Capital Bank." The IMF advanced US$2.6 million under a two-year US$16 million PRGF programme. However, the government failed to comply with most of the IMF-stipulated PRGF conditions, said Burke. "As a result," Burke said, "the IMF has decided to withdraw the remaining US$13.4 million that the government would have been entitled to, had it complied with those conditions that had been imposed as part of the structural adjustment programme." Reprinted from Caribbean Net News caribbeannetnews.com