November 28, 2012: ST GEORGE’S, GRENADA: FINANCE MINISTER Nazim Burke has told a local radio station that government has not “requested money from the National Insurance Scheme” to help it pay salaries at the end of the month.
But he conceded that “we are in business with the NIS” while claiming he could not speak on the details.
However the statement appeared not to be an outright denial from Burke about a report first broken by CARIBUPDATE NEWS that the government is seeking 10 million dollars from the fund this month to pay salaries.
He told interviewer Lew Smith that “we are in business with the NIS,” but declaring that he was not at liberty to discuss the details.
CARIBUPDATE NEWS reported Tuesday, that the government had gone to the scheme – for a third time this year – seeking money to help meet its recurrent bills.
Reliable reports from multiple board sources of the scheme have confirmed that government has offered to sell a mixture of lands and government bonds for 10 million dollars.
“We are in business with the NIS. The NIS is in business with us,” Burke said. “(But) the emotional claim that we are taking the people’s money from the NIS is totally false.”
“It is not right for me to come on the air and speak about an investor’s portfolio. If you wish to find out from the NIS what they are doing and what they are investing ….these are matters that the investor is best suited to speak on,” Burke said.
The government is concerned that the impression might have been given that the cash-strapped Tillman Thomas administration had sought to “take” money from the NIS.
Burke made the rounds Wednesday to “friendly media” to play down the impression.
The Grenada Finance Minister for yet another time Wednesday refused a CARIBUPDATE NEWS’ invitation to speak to it on the record about the island’s economic challenges.
“I am busy now and I am on my way to an interview (with the Government Information Service),” Burke said Wednesday at the government headquarters when he was approached by our director.
“Can we wait to engage you after the (GIS) interview?” he was asked.
“You can do what you want,” Burke retorted.
“But is it a fair expectation to wait for an interview?” he was further asked.
Burke then walked away.
When he re-emerged from the GIS interview, Burke was again approached by our director. He again walked away without offering to speak at any time.
Burke has consistently refused in 2012 to give interviews to representatives of CARIBUPATE NEWS, the Caribbean Media Corporation and Associated Press.
Apparently referring to his frustration over the reports about government’s financial troubles and its ongoing inability to meet some of its bills, Burke declared on GBN Radio Wednesday: “This person has taken a very strong dedicated commitment to try to bring the government down.”
