Grenada's opposition leader Tillman Thomas has been making his case for a joint government to help rebuild the country after hurricane Ivan.

Mr Thomas wants Prime Minister Keith Mitchell to extend his cabinet to include opposition members of parliament.

The Mitchell government holds a slim 8 to 7 majority, and the prime minister is reluctant to bring in opposition figures, even in this time of national crisis.

Mr Mitchell believes that the Cabinet is a special element of the government and he feels a government must be comprised of "like-minded" people.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) leader, however, is not impressed by that argument.

"Like-minded is like looking for loyalty, the Prime Minister is looking for loyalty and trust and I think it's time our trust should be in Grenada doing whatever it takes to get the reconstruction going and get Grenada back on its feet," Mr Thomas told BBC Caribbean Radio.

He said given the scale of the disaster, everyone, regardless of their political affiliation should get together to rebuild the country.

Political unity

"We need to have a unified organisation to get all sectors involved in the reconstruction of the country. However, we believe there must be the parliamentary leverage and let all the parliamentarians be people at Cabinet level."

Mr Thomas, who represents the parish of St Patrick East told BBC Caribbean Radio he did not think that his proposal would leave his party open to accusations that they were trying to get in the government by the back door.

"We are prepared to work as an opposition it's just because he spoke of a government of national unity and he did not have any framework so we presented a framework," he said. "But we are prepared to work as opposition in the rebuilding of the country."

He was also somewhat critical of the relief distribution efforts that are taking place in Grenada and he said in some areas citizens were dissatisfied.

"The Red Cross and the NGOs are trying, but the National Emergency Relief Organisation (NERO) which is supposed to be the main organisation dealing with relief has not performed too well," he said.

"As a matter of fact, in the Parish of St Andrew, the largest parish in the island, the parishioners have set up the St Andrew's Relief Organisation because they are so dissatisfied with the way NERO is operating."

Mr Thomas also said there was the perception among some citizens that there has been a partisan approach to the distribution of supplies.

The NDC leader said he feels the top priority in the rebuilding process is getting shelter for the many people who have lost their homes.

"There are more than 50,000 people who need shelter," he said. "They may be with friends, at public shelters or in other places.

"It is important to get shelters for people so we could get the economic life of the people going. If one doesn't have a home to come to, one isn't motivated to go to work."


SOURCE: BBCCARIBBEAN.COM