Dr. Trevor Friday

Medical doctor, Trevor Friday wants Agriculture Minister, Adrian "Spaceman" Mitchell to co-operate fully with him if the ruling New National Party (NNP) wants him to contest the St. Patrick East seat for government in the next general election.

An aide of Dr. Friday told GRENADA TODAY that this is the single most important demand that he is making to contest the rural seat on a ticket of the NNP that is headed by Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Mitchell.

According to the official, Dr. Friday sees the support of Mitchell as very critical for him to make a significant impact in the constituency. Prime Minister Mitchell has confided in several persons that he would not be putting back Minister Mitchell to face the electorate because he is seen as a liability since he is not prepared to do the hard work that is necessary "on the ground".

Minister Mitchell first won the seat in 1995 and successfully defended it in 1999 but lost the constituency in 2003 to Opposition Leader Tillman Thomas of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). The defeated minister who was relegated to the Senate has hardly been seen at his desk in the Ministerial Complex.

Adrian Mitchell

It is alleged that he spends most of his time at his family-owned supermarket in River Sallee and ventures into town on Mondays to attend the weekly Cabinet sitting. The source said that Dr. Friday is confident that if Minister Mitchell would "deliver" his block of votes to him in the key River Sallee area of the constituency then he would be able to defeat the Opposition Leader.

When this newspaper spoke to Dr Friday about two months ago, he confirmed that he was approached to run for the seat but told the NNP hierarchy that he would give a decision on the issue after the August carnival festival. The source said that Dr. Friday has already been engaged in "limited" political work in the constituency.

This newspaper was also informed that the NNP is putting contingency plans in place if Dr. Friday did not come forward as a candidate. The sister of a former calypso monarch is also said to be on the short list of potential candidates for the ruling party.

Meanwhile, a former government minister with the Mitchell-led government, Oliver Archibald is said to be making overtures to the congress party. Archibald reportedly telephoned a radio call-in programme hosted by the NDC on a local FM radio station to open dialogue with the party.

Earlier in the year, Archibald sent a letter to the GRENADA TODAY newspaper in which he vowed to politically destroy Prime Minister Mitchell. Archibald, a former Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Junior Minister for Works, is said to be angry with the Prime Minister with the pension that was granted to him.

NDC officials have confided I this newspaper that two of its executive members, Peter David and Glen Noel have been selected to meet with the ex-government minister. The Congress party is said to be giving serious consideration to having Archibald appear on its political platform especially in the four St. Andrew's constituencies in the next poll that is due in the next two years.