JAN 24

A few angry supporters of the ruling New National Party (NNP) support group in the town of St. George have discussed the possibility of picketing the St. John's street office of the GRENADA TODAY newspaper in connection with a report carried about Tourism & Civil Aviation Minister, Brenda Hood.

Informed sources told GRENADA TODAY that the plan was put forward at a meeting last Tuesday by a party activist who is known to be heavily involved in the mas band movement.

The meeting of between six to eight persons was held at Mt. Helicon, the headquarters office on Upper Lucas Street of the NNP of Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell.
According to a well-placed source, the NNP activist suggested that party members should mount a picket outside the GRENADA TODAY office to force it to reveal the source of the information concerning internal problems in Hood's constituency.

He indicated that the threat to send party supporters outside of the local newspaper was rejected by others in attendance at the meeting as one without any meaning.
"Some people said in the meeting that that (picket action) was not called for since the paper did not call anybody name", he remarked.

The GRENADA TODAY had carried a report pointing out that a group of angry supporters of the NNP were up in arms against Hood for not paying them for work done on election Day and her failure to hold a meeting of Constituency Branch since she lost her seat in the November 27 general election to barrister-at-law, Peter David of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The supporters are also unhappy with the leading role now being played in the constituency by female political activist Peggy Nestfield, a former member of the ill-fated 1979-83 Grenada Revolution.

Nestfield appeared on Hood's platform in the final hours of the campaign to lead a broadside against former revolutionaries, Peter David and Nazim Burke and who are now executive members of the Congress party.

David captured the Town of St. George constituency while Burke defeated Education Minister Augustine John in a battle for the St. George North-east seat.

The source said that Hood did meet with a select group of party supporters on Tuesday and informed them that she was unable to meet with the group much earlier due to a busy schedule in recent weeks.

He also quoted Hood as saying that she had not given any job to Nestfield but that the female political activist had volunteered her services "free-of-cost" to her.
He said too that Hood denied that she had sought to blame her lost to David on the failure of her campaigners to do a good enough job for her.

There are reports that Hood did not address the claims by some persons that they were not paid for work carried out on behalf of the parliamentarian on Election Day.
During the campaign, Hood reportedly paid some workers $25.00 a day and $12.50 for half day campaign work in the constituency.