Ladies and Gentlemen, fellow citizens, Good evening; It is with a spirit of humility, perseverance, and my steadfast desire to serve my country that I address you on issues which threaten to cloud and distract the nation from the critical matters of national development and economic revival. Since my last address to you, the Cabinet has been busy advancing the work of the State in the public interest. Our primary objectives remain job creation, investment, youth development and achieving a more buoyant economy. I am aware that some of you have been rightly concerned about the state of the Government in light of the recent political developments surrounding the Cabinet and the party which forms the Government of Grenada at this time. I wish to speak clearly so as to dispel any attempts or appearances at connivance and cover ups, and to confirm that I do not merely recite our mantra of “transparency, accountability and good governance”, but rather that I live it as my personal code and mission statement as head of the NDC Government. The matter of the receipt of certain funds into my personal account, which, in the past few weeks has been broadcast and speculated upon by many in the media, opposition, and indeed within my own party, the NDC, is straight forward. The fact is this: the sum of monies received, as attested to in my Declaration of Source of Funds at the Republic Bank, was fifty thousand US Dollars ($50,000.00). This is a statement of fact. It has been verified and proven. The receipt of funds for the purpose stated does not require that the funds go into a specific party account. What is most important in these circumstances is that the money be used for the purpose for which it was given. While the donor does not require any accounting for the funds, it is absolutely the case, on my insistence, that every penny be accounted for by those to whom it has been entrusted. It should be noted that neither the internal rules of the NDC nor the laws of our country, nor, indeed, the very tenets of my moral standing were in any way broken, eroded or compromised Fellow Patriots, I wish now to remind you therefore, of what is of primary importance to our tri-island state; which is, pulling our country into a renaissance, its re-birth into a time of prosperity and industriousness. I remind Grenadians of the duty of national pride, which begins with one’s own self worth. Notwithstanding the difficult fiscal times for many Grenadians, I urge you not to lose hope, but to realize that these are growing pains during a difficult global crisis. Far from squandering the time and resources of our nation on unnecessary and inconsequential malicious slander, our Government now focuses on forging ahead to pursue investment opportunities for the country, jobs for our people and educational opportunities for our youth. We have rolled up our sleeves for the people of Grenada, and we are working hard to make this country, what we all wish it to be. Let us build Grenada together. In that vein, it is with a sense of great confidence and in the discharge of my responsibilities under the Constitution of Grenada, that I have asked His Excellency, the Governor-General, to make the following appointments to the Cabinet of Ministers: The Honourable Glynis Roberts as Minster for the Environment, Foreign Trade and Export Development and the Honourable Sylvester Quarless as Minister for Social Development, Labour and Social Security. I thank my two Cabinet colleagues for their ready acceptance of these responsibilities and applaud them for their stated resolve to be successful in their new portfolios on behalf of the people of this country. Ladies and gentlemen, in a matter of days, I will lead a delegation to the Rio Summit on Sustainable Development, in Brazil, from June 16 to June 22. This meeting of world leaders will provide an opportunity for Grenada to seek to secure various kinds of development assistance. Accordingly we have set ourselves some specific objectives in using our attendance to maximum advantage for our country. We have therefore constituted our delegation appropriately to successfully present Grenada’s case and to make the right diplomatic connections. I am also pleased to report that we have secured official donor funding to cover most of the costs involved for this mission. I wish that you take special note of my intention to address the Nation on progress with our National Development Agenda, shortly after my return from this Summit. May I also use this opportunity to refer to a recent un-official visit to Grenada by the Emir of Qatar. His arrival and presence in our country stirred much excitement, curiosity and interest. Without going ahead of ourselves, I have to say that this new relationship now being established is expected to redound to the benefit of the people of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique, in the near future. As Minister for National Security to commend the Commissioner of Police and his force on their highly successful staging of Police Week, 2012. I also specially commend the Immigration Department on its award from the United Nations for excellence in customer service and modernization efforts. The work of the Police continues to be of vital importance to our national security and stability, and cannot be underestimated or underappreciated. And on behalf of our nation, I extend our sincere thanks to them for the diligence and commitment to such a demanding vocation. Finally, as a God fearing nation, I ask that we each continue to pray for our Country, its leadership and its prosperity, recalling that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. As a Nation, we are to look to the Heavens from whence cometh our help and our strength. We are to look within ourselves for the resolve to do what is right. We must be prepared to work together in the task of “PRODUCING OUR WAY TO PROSPERITY”. I THANK YOU AND MAY GOD BLESS OUR NATION