The main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has announced a series of measures aimed at retaliating at moves being made by the governing New National Party (NNP) to embarrass its elected Member of Parliament for the town of St. George, Peter David.

The Keith Mitchell-led government has announced plans to challenge David’s status in Parliament on the grounds that he contested the November 2003 general elections as a Canadian citizen in contravention of the constitutional requirements.

Two government officials, Legal Affairs Minister Elvin Nimrod and Legal Adviser to Cabinet, Jamaican Hugh Wildman have announced plans to seek a high court ruling for David to be stripped and for the seat to be declared for the defeated NNP candidate, Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister, Brenda Hood.

The NDC held a public meeting on the Carenage in St. George’s on Sunday night to whip up support for David in light of the latest attack made on him by the ruling party.

In addressing the large gathering, Public Relations Officer of Congress, Nazim Burke said that the party is giving “serious consideration” about filing an action in the local high courts to get all members of parliament to declare their own citizenship status during the past ten years.

“...We would ask the court to issue a declaration that all persons who were sitting in the Parliament of Grenada and were holding American citizenship were sitting in the Parliament illegally”, he remarked.

The NDC move is said to be aimed at Prime Minister Mitchell, Minister of State for Sports, Adrian “Spaceman” Mitchell, former Minister of State for Works, Oliver Archibald, Foreign Minister Nimrod and ex-Foreign Affairs Minister, Mark Isaac.

The Grenadian leader along with the other three were living in the U.S for lengthy period before returning home to get involved in local politics.

According to Burke who is known to hold Canadian citizenship like David, the NDC would also approach the high court to give a ruling on monies which these parliamentarians might have collected from the State as gratuity payments.

“We would want to get a declaration from the courts that any monies received by such persons during the period were improper and fraudulently attained and that all such monies should be returned to the Government and people of Grenada”, he said.

Burke, a practising attorney-at-law, pointed out that the NDC would pursue these NNP parliamentarians in court in order to get a further declaration about assets they might have obtained while sitting inside the House of Representatives.

He said the clear intention is to get a ruling from the court that these assets came into their possessions illegally and should be confiscated and returned to the State.

Burke who holds the St. George North-east seat in parliament told the gathering that the NDC would seek to get the court to make a declaration to the effect that all parliamentarians who are in violation of the Citizenship Act should receive discounted pension and gratuity.

Legal sources told this newspaper that the intention is to get the court to order some government parliamentarians who would have already collected pensions and gratuity to pay back the treasury.

Under the current arrangement, parliamentarians are entitled to a hefty sum of money in the form of back pay for serving two terms in parliament.

The source said that if the NDC makes the application and is successful then some government M.P’s might be forced to give back their gratuity payments since they would not have served two terms in parliament.

Another legal official on the island felt that the Wildman-Nimrod move against David could result in “a parliamentary crisis” in Grenada if it is found that several Members on both sides of the house have illegal status.

The NdC is planning to file a number of questions for the next sitting of Parliament due on December 9 about the citizenship status of a number of parliamentarians.