The admittance from the Ministry of Finance about its poor intake from the controversial National Reconstruction Levy (NRL) is not unexpected.

The performance of this "income tax" is on par with the reality of the economy at this point in time. The government as one of the major players in economic activities has sent out a clear and unmistakable message that everything now is all about the 2007 Cricket World Cup.

The people are being told indirectly and in a very subtle manner that they have to understand that they need to wait while government puts everything in place for this international event to be held in the first half of next year.

Things are getting harder and harder each and every passing day for our people. The construction industry, which has been the driving force of the economy since the passage of Hurricanes Ivan and Emily has taken a serious nosedive due to the cement shortage on the island.

Hundreds of industry workers have been laid off as a number of construction projects have halted due to a shortage of cement. And the cost of doing these projects have also risen significantly due to the tremendous increase in the price for cement.

Even some hardware stores have been forced to lay-off workers that were taken on the job to lend a hand due to the slow-down in the construction industry.

And the tourism sector is not doing much better at the moment as can be seen from the many empty seats on a nightly basis at most of the nation's major eating places.

There is a big cruise ship terminal in the heart of the city and nothing is going on there at the moment. This is the off-season and not one cruise ship is visiting unlike the situation which exist in some other Caribbean islands where ships make regular calls on a weekly basis.

What is the "visionary leader" doing about the situation? We can recall the biblical saying: "Where there is no vision, the people perish".

The New National Party (NNP) as a government has been in office for the past eleven years and it is quite evident that it is clearly lacking an action plan to deal with the current economic and financial situation facing the country.

The economy has just about come to a halt with the powers-that-be placing all their bets on a miracle to happen after the Cricket World Cup.

And our real fear is that the political directorate is not telling the people the truth about the financial implications involved in hosting matches at the Sporting Stadium that is being rebuilt at Queen's Park by the Chinese.

We have been hearing reports about certain unbudgeted expenditure that would have to materialise in order to host these very games on the island. The information reaching us is that the government would have to look for another 2.5 million U.S to hire a helicopter company to be on the ground to provide quick transportation to players who might get seriously injured in practice matches at either Progress Park in St. Andrew's or La Sagesse in St. David's.

The experts are suggesting that it would be unwise to expect to have an ambulance transport one of these international cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar or Flintoff for the 30-45 minute drive from one of these venue to the St. George's General Hospital to receive the much needed modern treatment.

The estimate is that it would cost the island around $250, 000.00 U.S a day for 10 days amounting to roughly US$2.5 million whether or not there is an injury in order to have such a helicopter company stationed in Grenada for the games.

Where is this money coming from? Is it Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba, Venezuela, Mainland China, Japan, the United States, Canada, Britain or N.I.S? The economic outlook for the country is getting bleaker and bleaker with each passing day.

There is nothing on the horizon to suggest that the economy is expanding to the point where it can absorb the thousands of school-leavers who would be entering the job market at the end of the current school year.

Most businesses are reporting significant increases in applications from persons on the hunt for jobs. One businessman who called this newspaper just over a week ago provided a graphic description of the situation now prevailing in the country.

He asked for his advertisement to stop running because in a three-day span he received over 100 calls from mostly young people for one small job opening that he had within his business.

The lament of the businessman was that something has to give in the country because Grenada seems to be at a standstill with everything geared towards the Cricket World Cup. The reality of the situation is that with or without the world Cup, the country has to go on.

After the World Cup has come and gone, the problems of unemployment and hopelessness would still remain with us and have to be addressed in a very serious manner.

The government is not telling us what the plan is to deal with the existing problems that are confronting us as a people. This is serious business - the future well being of the people of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique are at stake.

The country can no longer wait on promises like the millions of dollars that Public Utilities Minister Gregory Bowen promised in the last elections in 2003 from oil finds in Grenadian waters that would be used to pay off the massive national debt of 1.5 billion dollars due largely to NNP's massive spending spree.