The opposition parties in Grenada - National Democratic Congress (NDC), People's Labour Movement (PLM) and the Grenada United Labour Party (GULP) are apparently fast asleep in the country these days.

The people are not hearing a single word from these parties on a number of burning issues confronting the island and instead they are allowing Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell to get away with a lot of 'ole talk' and questionable statements. The latest outpouring from the Grenadian leader came at his party's public meeting on Sunday at Tivoli, St. Andrew's.

It appears that Grenada is the only country that is projecting a massive profit from the hosting of Matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007, according to Prime Minister Mitchell. Under pressure from the opposition in Jamaica, that country's Minister of Finance, Dr. Omar Davies admitted that the island expects to register a massive loss of US$95 million from the Cricket World Cup.

While not a ball has been bowled in the stadium that is being rebuilt at Queen's Park in St. George's, Prime Minister Mitchell is talking about millions of dollars in profit to be gained without giving a scientific breakdown. Over the years, Dr. Mitchell and some of his ministers have built up a reputation for speaking only in terms of millions of dollars to be either spent or earned by Grenada through the actions of the New National Party (NNP) administration.

It was the same Prime Minister who boasted of the island standing to earn millions of dollars in the Call Centre venture that was expected to transform the landscape of St. Andrew's and bordering parishes like St. Patrick's and St. David's.

As it turned out the island lost millions of dollars from Call Centre and the government was forced to divert over 4 million dollars in dividend from Cable & Wireless to the Treasury to pay off a debt that Call Centre owed the telecommunication company.

And up to this day, the Prime Minister has not kept his word and commitment given to Parliament that his family members would repay their share of Call Centre debts - leaving everything up to the State. It is the same Dr. Mitchell who in the 1999 election campaign boasted about the hundreds of jobs to be created and millions to come into the country from the Brakes Plant to be set up by Montserrat-born businessman, Joel Webbe.

The project never materialised and the few Grenadians who were seen on television going abroad for training in the U.S as part of the NNP campaign promotion were left stranded and begging for help to come back home. Again the million-dollar phrase was sounded by our Prime Minister with the Poultry Project at Bocage in St. Mark's. He told the nation that hundreds of jobs would come to residents in Victoria and surrounding villages as a result of this NNP dream project.

After six years, the people in St. Mark's are now hearing that the poultry project is off due to the fact that the same Mitchell government has no money and is in no position to offer a guarantee to anybody to carry out the project. And the Prime Minister is again talking about more and more millions of dollars that his government will bring into this country through the Cricket World Cup when almost everyone else in the region are projecting massive financial losses.

In the face of growing concerns in the region about the massive financial losses the Caribbean countries could face from staging this international cricket event, the Jamaican Finance Minister was very frank and honest when he pointed out that the decision taken by the CARICOM heads including the same Dr. Mitchell to host the tournament "was not taken in terms of strict financial analysis".

And no one in Grenada is challenging the Prime Minister on his boast of millions and millions to be raked in by Grenada from the hosting of its share of matches. It is time for the NDC and the rest of the opposition - PLM and GULP - to wake up from their sleep and play an active opposition role in the country.

Opponents of the Mitchell government to lead the charge against the regime and its mismanagement of the country's finances over the past decade look upon the Congress party as the official opposition in Grenada. The national debt has sky-rocketed from 373 million dollars in 1995 to over 1.5 billion dollars in 2006 with hardly anything of an income generating nature to show in order to justify this massive spending spree.

The only one in the opposition who is seemingly taking the fight to the NNP is the least expected - Opposition Leader Tillman Thomas whose style of leadership is not confrontational. Where are George Prime, Nazim Burke and Peter David - the other major players in the Congress Party? Why have they all gone silent? Are they still continuing to live in fear of their past in the 1979-83 period?

Is Dr. Mitchell and the NNP holding something over their heads, which they are afraid, the country will get to know about them? We cannot even hear the likes of David, Burke and Prime these days jump up and down the country and call for a resumption of the Briefcase Enquiry involving the Prime Minister.

As the people say, if you have cocoa in sun then look out for rain. This is a timely reminder for the NDC leaders, members and supporters.