The results of a so-called Public Opinion Poll conducted by a group calling itself the North American Caribbean Teachers Association (NACTA) on the Briefcase Inquiry involving Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell is indeed laughable.

This New York-based group is claiming that over 80% of the population in the Spice Isle feel that the inquiry is a waste of time and should be stopped.

GRENADA TODAY is not convinced that this poll is reflective of the views of the people of this country. This country is presently split along bitter partisan political lines and the ruling New National Party (NNP) of Prime Minister Mitchell cannot truthfully claim that it commands the support of even 55 % of the populace.

The main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) enjoys broad-based national support based on the results of the last general election in November 2003 when the NNP just managed to hold onto power with a close 8-7 majority and in rather questionable circumstances.

If this poll has to be believed then it means that a significant amount of the support base of the Congress Party would have voiced support for the inquiry to be abandoned. This is hardly likely since the NDC supporters want blood badly especially the political head of Keith Mitchell.

This newspaper strongly suspect that the NNP party is behind the poll and might have financed it for obvious political reasons. The inquiry is now at a critical stage and the strategists for the ruling party cannot afford to rest for a minute in light of the recent turn of events.

We refer specifically to indications that two of the persons identified by sole Commissioner, Dr. Richard Cheltenham of Barbados as crucial have publicly signalled their intention to give evidence in the inquiry.

They are Miami-based British journalist David Marchant who broke the story about the alleged $US500, 000.00 bribery payment made to Prime Minister Mitchell in St. Moritz, Switzerland in June 2000 by American-born German international crook and fraudster, Eric Resteiner.

The other witness is Resteiner's former Chief of Security, Timothy Bass who in a sworn affidavit claimed that he not only witnessed the transaction but was authorized by Resteiner to do a secret audio and video tape of the delivery of the funds allegedly paid to the Grenadian leader.

The entrants of Bass and Marchant at this stage of the proceedings could significantly alter the course of events. The situation with Resteiner is uncertain as no firm statement has been made by anyone about his position in terms of giving evidence.

The NDC has been on the offensive since the break in hearings of the Cheltenham Commission six weeks ago and engaged in writing letters to the Commissioner and publishing same in the press about the names of persons who should be called to help in the probe.

This has seemingly borne fruits with Commissioner Cheltenham giving instructions to the Police Officer assigned to the Commission, ASP Michael Francois to contact Michael Baptiste and others to give evidence. Baptiste has confirmed to us that the senior police officer has been in touch with him as part of a list of names given to him by Dr. Cheltenham as regards persons whom he feels can help the inquiry.

It should be noted that Baptiste in his capacity as then Opposition Leader was the first person to make public reference to the bribery allegation, and this was long before the Marchant article appeared. In light of these events, the NNP has been forced to go on its own offensive in order to try and regain loss ground.

It is therefore not far-fetched to see the hands of certain elements of the ruling party behind this latest poll conducted by some New York-based pollster with Guyanese connections.

The results of this so-called poll are just as laughable as the NNP claim prior to the November 2003 poll that it would win fourteen of the fifteen seats in the elections. And the NNP and Keith Mitchell's cause is not being helped by the state of hopelessness existing in the country after the passage of Hurricane Ivan last September and most recently by Hurricane Emily.

GRENADA TODAY calls on the pollster to inform the people on who paid him to commission the poll and how much he was paid to come up with this questionable and suspect results.

In the words of former Foreign Minister, Dr. Raphael Fletcher who brought down the Mitchell government in late 1998 after he got fed-up with the visible signs of corruption and wrong-doing: "All would be released in the fullness of time".

And in "the fullness of time", a new regime in Grenada would be left with no choice but to pursue a criminal investigation into the June 2000 Switzerland events in which Bass, Marchant and Resteiner will become chief witnesses.