Good governance is based upon a commitment to providing an environment for people to thrive and advance while ensuring that people, who are vulnerable, are appropriately supported and protected from harm and hardship. Unfortunately for the NDC, they are quickly learning that talking the talk of politics, is much easier than walking the walk. "Hardship" is much easier to say than it is to live, and there are a lot of people suffering hardship as a result of the rising cost of living. Due to the village roots of so many people within the New National Party, the reality of hardship is something that is understood. If someone is hungry, getting a meal tomorrow is too late. If someone can't get to school, getting bus fare next month is too late. If someone can't afford a uniform, having nothing to wear the first day of school is too late. If someone needs a job, next week, next month or next year is too late. Help must be given when help is needed. If help is going to be taken away, the Government shouldn't disrespect people by cutting them off the assistance they get without giving them some warning and some time to adjust. When jobs are needed, the Government must do everything in its power to generate them. Sadly however, the NDC Government has failed miserably on this front so far. For economic hardship, social assistance is like the band-aid and meaningful employment is the cure. Long term solutions such as job creation, are equally important because a short term fix has no value if it is not supported by a long term solution. New National Party made significant progress in both of these areas: Social safety nets were helping people with immediate need; investments were coming to Grenada almost faster than the nation could accommodate them; and the high degree of optimism in the society left the Nation feeling confident about the future. The NNP knows that confidence is the foundation of achievement. Over the last few years while the NDC had been in Opposition, they undermined that confidence when they focused on attacking the foreign investors who were bringing jobs to Grenada. They attacked the national debt that was used build a strong growing economy. When nutmeg workers lost their jobs after Hurricane Ivan, high end tourism development was identified as one way to ensure Grenada's citizens could get back to work as quickly as possible. The New National Party knew then, what the NDC Government is discovering now: It could take as much as 20 years to restore the agricultural sector to its pre-disaster employment and production levels. Fortunately, Grenada has been blessed with enough assets to be an attractive investment destination for high end tourism, which is by far a more stable than mass tourism, which tends to rise and fall with global markets. Focusing on this kind of development was done deliberately to ensure stable employment for the people, because the stability of the high end market would help to reduce the possibility of seasonal lay-offs, as well as work shortages when global economic trends declined. But the NDC attacked and criticized, anyway. Now the NDC Government has finally realized that the NNP was on the right track, so they have retreated from the negative position they have held on the tourism investments for so many years. Some elements in the NDC have finally figured out what the NNP have known all along – that developing a vibrant tourism sector and private sector is essential for combating the cost of living and the global economic downturn. It is a shame that the Minister's are not more united, however. Minister Burke has publicly declared Grenada's Treasury 'empty' and described the Nations finances as "Total Mess", while Minister David has been pronouncing the Governments focus on supporting tourism investments. If you were someone investing millions of dollars into a tourism project in this country, would this lack of harmony give you confidence in the future of the project you were investing in? The answer, quite obviously is "no". So, while some elements in the NDC are recognizing the NNP were on the right track, other elements have cut investor confidence off at the knees. And if this is not corrected right away, it will do serious damage to the economy. The NNP Government spent years and millions of dollars upgrading Grenada's facilities to bring these investors here, and the people must make sure the NDC do not drive them away. We need the jobs! The NDC Government's obsession with the New National Party is also hurting their chances of proving to the people they've got what it takes to make things work. While it may be satisfying for high placed people to use their new found power to settle personal vendettas, the image these persecutions has been, and continues to be, very damaging for the nation as a whole. In fact, the people and the international community have been so mislead that a transparent and accountable commission of inquiry would reveal that the lawyers that have been attacking Dr. Mitchell and the NNP are the same lawyers to brought these banks to Grenada, profited from these banks, and ultimately these lawyers will be the ones who will be called to account for the First Bank Fiasco and more. If we are going to successfully combat the rising cost of living, and create meaningful employment for people, the Government of Grenada must restore the public confidence it inherited on July 8th. The new Government and their activists must stop misleading the people, and get over their obsession with the Leader of the Opposition, and other members of the NNP. They must focus on putting the needs of the people first, and recognize that the best way to combat the hardship the people face with the rising cost of living is to make sure that they do everything in their power to let the progress continue The above article is the perspective of the opposition New National Party (NNP)and the views expressed therein are not necessarily those of the Inside Grenada Team. Reprinted from nnpnews.com