Commission invitation to form a group called Politicians Against Drugs.

And Health and Social Services Minister the Hon. Quinton Edness is among the Government members who have not replied to the invitations sent out in early January, NDC chief executive officer Mrs. Eugenie Simmons said.

Mrs. Simmons said NDC chairman Mr. Mansfield (Jim) Brock sent letters to each MP and Senator, as well as National Liberal Party chairman Mr. Gilbert Darrell.

"We asked them for help in forming an alliance of politicians which we might call Politicians Against Drugs,'' Mrs. Simmons said.

"We wanted to send a message to the entire community that our elected and appointed representatives were on board with this effort.'' Mr. Brock had written to many sectors of the community, including churches and sporting clubs, asking them to form similar alliances.

Of the letters sent to politicians, Mrs. Simmons said nearly all Government members and all the Independent Senators had responded favourably. Mr. Darrell of the NLP had also sent a positive reply. But no PLP MPs or Senators had responded, she said. Nor had Mr. Edness, Youth and Sport Minister the Hon.

Pamela Gordon, Deputy Premier the Hon. Irving Pearman, or Government backbencher the Hon. Ann Cartwright DeCouto.

It was hoped MPs would respond individually, rather than as members of a party, she said. As for Opposition members, "I'm not aware of any reason why they would not have responded''.

Wade: It would be meaningless to `just join some group' Mr. Brock was off the Island, but "we will upon the chairman's return certainly approach the party in terms of setting up a meeting''.

While Mrs. Simmons said one earlier scheduled meeting had been put off at the request of the PLP, Opposition Leader Mr. Frederick Wade said that was not true.

"We've had three meetings arranged, and on each occasion Mr. Brock has cancelled the meeting,'' Mr. Wade said.

"We operate as a political party'', and rather than have 18 separate replies, "the PLP wanted to sit down with Mr. Brock to find out what he's talking about''.

It would be meaningless to "just join some group'', Mr. Wade said. The party wanted to know "what are the group's intentions, and what is it going to do?'' PLP MPs and Senators are against drugs, but "we don't go around joining things for the sake of joining'', Mr. Wade said.

Mr. Edness said he was off the Island for the month of January and first saw the letter from Mr. Brock on Tuesday.

"I know that I was drafting my reply, and I'm not sure that I finished it,'' he said.

Mr. Edness said he supported the concept as "very useful'', but wanted to make suggestions to Mr. Brock to improve the group.

First, he thought it should be called Parliamentarians Against Drugs, instead of Politicians Against Drugs. "There are all kinds of politicians, but people who are being elected to Parliament have a certain kind of responsibility,'' he said.

He also wanted to make suggestions on how to make the group more effective, he said.

Ms Gordon said she signed the letter the first day she received it, on January 10. After receiving an inquiry from a Gazette reporter, she returned to her Ministry office and found her reply still in her out basket, buried under other documents.

"It should have gone out,'' she said. "We've had a few little boo boos around here.'' Ms Gordon said she supported Politicians Against Drugs and would have her reply hand-delivered to the NDC today. "I think I will do it personally.'' Mr. Pearman said the letter came to Cabinet in January and he insisted he signed his reply and sent it off immediately.

Mrs. Cartwright DeCouto said she lost her letter. "I don't mind joining,'' she said. "I think it's just sort of a symbolic gesture, that has no harm in it of course.

However, "if someone in two years time said what did this group do, and it hadn't done anything as a group, I think that would look a little silly''.