ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA: The official opposition in the island is expected to raise the stakes on embattled Prime Minister Keith Mitchell, asking him to step down while he is being investigated for wrong doing. At the same time, reports in Grenada say former opposition leader Michael Baptiste has vowed to mobilize parliamentarians across the Caribbean to force their governments to move against Dr Mitchell, who is currently chairman of CARICOM. “You cannot have a man who is being investigated, and who has actually confessed of a level of wrong doing leading the charge in the region. It undermines and destabilizes the work of the body,” Baptiste was quoted as saying. The issue of the charge against Mitchell was reportedly a major concern among some of the regional heads in the run-up to their July summit in Grenada. On the eve of the summit, Prime Minister Mitchell, in an apparent attempt to quell a likely protest, announced that the Governor General will set up an inquiry into charges, he has repeatedly denied, that he had received, half a million dollars in bribe from German fraudster Eric Resteiner. Opposition Leader Tillman Thomas was scheduled to address the nation in a televised speech last night. Though the speech was recorded, sources at the Grenada Broadcasting Network said the speech was not aired, but that it may happen on Thursday. It was not immediately clear the reason for the delay in the address on the partly state-sponsored Grenada Broadcasting Network, which in recent times have shelved a number of plans for opposition addresses. Opposition officials had previously expressed concern that government officials are allowed to address the nation without the station demanding the rigorous checks or forcing the kind of delays it has with the opposition. But a station source familiar with the speech said Thomas also called for Prime Minister Mitchell to step down. According to the source, Thomas said in a recorded segment: “We want to ensure that justice be done. But as importantly, we want to also ensure that justice appears to have been done. This is why we call on the Prime Minister to step aside during the inquiry and let another member of his party govern, while the probe is ongoing.” Our source also quoted Thomas say saying: “The Prime Minister cannot be above the rules. When any public servant is being investigated for bad conduct in the execution of his or her duties, that person is sent on leave while the investigation is being carried out. That same rule must apply to the Prime Minister.” In an exclusive interview with CARIBUPDATE this week, labor Senator Chester Humphrey also called for the temporary resignation of the Prime Minister. He said he will formally raise the issue the next time the senate meets. SOURCE: CARIBUPDATE.COM