ST. GEORGE'S, September 6, 2008 – The Leader of Her Majesty's Opposition is compelled to call upon the Government of Grenada to respond with urgency to the cries of the people of this Nation who have been complaining that their financial suffering has increased dramatically since the new Government assumed office. The social safety programmes provided by the New National Party Government have been put on hold, which has resulted in depriving the most vulnerable persons in our society of urgently needed assistance. The voucher programmes that provided uniforms, school books (for secondary schools), transportation and milk and food are no longer available to families in dire need. Road works and construction have ground to a halt, putting significant pressure on construction companies, suppliers and their employees: Many of whom were working on a daily paid rate and are now without income at all without warning or notice. Activity among the foreign investors has slowed, and in some cases stopped, causing lay-offs and loss of revenues for workers, suppliers and even bus operators who used to bring those workers to their places of employment. Store owners are complaining about reduced sales resulting in hardships for their businesses and employees. The house repair programme has been put on hold, leaving families waiting for much needed assistance unable to repair their homes with repairs still waiting to start as well as some very uncomfortable circumstances where roof repair projects for example have been stopped in-progress causing great discomfort for them. There was also a programme that provided rent assistance valued approximately between $400-500 a month for families waiting to move into the housing projects sponsored by the Chinese and Venezuelan Governments. This rental assistance provided the only means available to these families for one of the most basic human needs – shelter. Bus operators are reporting a decline in the number of customers riding their busses as people try to reduce costs by travelling on essential trips only, which is now making it more difficult for bus operators to manage with the soaring cost of fuel. The Leader of the Opposition would like to remind the Government of Grenada that every dollar invested in the social safety net programmes now on hold provided trickle down effects in Grenada's economy, and the removal of this social spending is impacting a cross-section of society that goes far beyond the immediate beneficiaries of the programmes. The extent of this problem is highlighted by the overwhelming number of cries for help the Opposition has received in recent week, causing terrible concern about the plight of Grenadians. Therefore like to extend an invitation to the Government of Grenada to put partisanship aside to work to assist them in any way possible to immediately address these urgent needs before the consequences of failing to do so spiral beyond control. Office of the Opposition Inside Grenada News