Grenada’s parliamentary opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has called on government to establish a National Emergency Economic Council to help rescue the island in the face of a deepening economic crisis.

Opposition Shadow Finance Minister, Nazim Burke made the call Sunday night at a public meeting of the Congress party held at the Car Park of the Melville Street Fish Market in St. George’s.

Burke told a large gathering that the council is urgently needed in order to come up with an action plan to deal with rising prices in the country due to the recent increases in fuel prices in Grenada.

He said the the body should be comprised of persons involved in the private sector, manufacturing industry, agriculture, hoteliers, trade unions, non-governmental organisations, and political parties.

Burke, the elected Member for the St. George North-east Constituency suggested that the Economic Council should be given the specific task of developing “a rescue plan for our country”.

“We (NDC) stand willing to be part of that council”, said Burke who is also the Public Relations Officer of congress. He gave a commitment “to engage government” in discussions aimed at arriving at “a package of measures” that can lead to the “economic survival” of Grenadians.

According to Burke, the immediate task ahead is to address the decline in government revenues. He called on the ruling New National Party (NNP) administration of Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell to halt the hiring of public relations officers for all government ministries.

In recent months, the regime has hired a number of party supporters to do public relations work with ministers. The officers are not hired directly by the Public Service Commission (PSC) but under the self-styled Vote 340 which is controlled by the Office of the Prime Minister.

Burke also used the platform to call on government to move immediately to subsidise the cost of energy for persons in the country in order to help them deal with the worsening economic crisis in Grenada. He made a plea for the Mitchell government to provide free transportation for students to go to school.

“If they can’t do that then subsidise the cost of transportation for the children”, said Burke. In recent weeks, the price for gas at fuel stations have increased by over $3.00 a gallon while LPG gas has moved up by over $10.00 for a bottle of 20 lb cylinder.

Sunday’s meeting was also addressed by Member of Parliament for St. David’s, Denis Lett who called for the Mitchell government to step down from office. Lett said the time has come for the people “to move forward and liberate the country” from the mismanagement of the economy by Prime Minister Mitchell and his ministers.

“If NNP remains in office, we would have problems. We cannot take more pressure. The time is now to call on the Keith Mitchell government to give way to a party that can take the country forward”, he told the gathering.

Elections are not due in Grenada until 2008.