MAY 22

Grenada's opposition has vowed to use every "constitutional and legal" means to get rid of the ruling New National Party government if it does not resign over the weight of fresh corruption allegations against it.

At a public meeting Sunday in the rural east coast town of Grenville, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) unveiled a resolution that it says will be the center piece of the focus for the party over the next few weeks. "Be it resolved that the people of Grenada vigorously pursue all available constitutional and legal measures to bring about the removal of the ruling NNP from government" the resolution said, while calling for "the widest possible consultation" with all national stake holders.

The document presented by Joan Purcell, the elder stateswoman of the party, called for "mass action to be taken to force the immediate sitting of Parliament to discuss these latest grave developments." The call comes as Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell endeavors to stall the opposition from asking embarrassing questions in parliament, which according to the standing orders must meet on the third Tuesday in each month. However the government has failed to call a meeting of parliament for all of April and with May's deadline also slipping by a meeting for this month is also said to be off the cards.

In what is clearly a growing crisis of confidence in the leadership of Prime Minister Mitchell, the country is bracing for an upswing in political activities as the NDC outlined plans for a mass candle light vigil outside the Parliamentary building on Tuesday, a public demonstration on Friday afternoon and another "people's parliament" on Sunday in the Capital, St. George's. The government is under pressure to act against Prime Minister Mitchell who is accused of accepting a sum of money from a German businessman.

The issue appeared in a Miami-based online publication, KYC News which is operated by David Marchant of OffShore Alert. When contacted by Marchant, Prime Minister Mitchell allegedly told the publisher that he had received between US $12,000 and US $14,000 for expenses associated with an European promotional tour arranged by Eric Restiener, who was appointed as a trade diplomat for Grenada.

The payment is reported to have been captured on video and Audio tape by Restiener's Security Chief. "We do not care if it's US $500,000 or US $12000 or US $14,000, what we do know is that this is bad. I have watched many movies and only bad boys and drug dealers hand over monies in briefcases," said the chairman of the evening's activity, Salimbi Gill, a lawyer said.

The meeting called on both Mitchell and Agriculture Minister Gregory Bowen in particular to resign, amid growing speculation here that the NNP is split on how to go forward with two senior government ministers under public pressure. "This is no joke for Grenada. For the past eight years our name has been dragged through the mud and it is time we put a stop to this," one speaker commented.

Sunday's meeting in Grenville resembled the major public meetings of the party in the run-up to last November's general elections -- in both tone and size, as a large crowd many of them still wearing the yellow t-shorts for last year's campaign, turned up.

Prime Minister Mitchell in the meantime has been very low profile and has maintained links with the Government Information Service (GIS) but has not spoken to the private media on the issue, instead his government is threatening them with "the full force of the lawÓ if the story was printed.

However the matter is now at center stage as green and white pamphlets are now in the hands of anyone wishing to see the story, although the source of the document remains unclear. What is clear is that the opposition party plans to spread the word far and wide and has planned letters to Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony of St. Lucia, the man CARICOM has placed at the head of a group, which looks at good governance in the region. According to the NDC, time is running out for this administration.