ROSEAU, Dominica (CMC) — Former president Eluid Williams will head a National Reconstruction Task Force that will assist the Dominica Government in the reconstruction of Dominica following the passage of Tropical Storm Erika late last month, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has announced.

He said that the task force, which would also include Collin Bully, former director of OECS EDU; retired cabinet secretary Julian Johnson and the former financial secretary Alick Lazare, is expected “to assist and advise on mapping a path forward for the social and economic forward movement of Dominica.

“This group shall bring together tried, tested and proven Dominicans, who have the skills, vision and experience to advise the government on the way forward,” Skerrit said in a radio and television broadcast on Monday night.

He told citizens that the members of the task force have all readily agreed to serve and are about to get down to the task assigned.

“We are indeed honoured to have such an illustrious group willing to give of their time and talent, and we look forward to recommendations emanating from their deliberations,” the prime minister said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Skerrit has denied allegations of unfair distribution of aid to persons affected by the storm that killed more than 30 people and left more than EC$600 million in damage.

He described the allegations as “unsubstantiated” and “unwarranted” even as he acknowledged that in the distribution of relief supplies on such a large scale that “there could be clogs in the system. Our job as a people is to find these chinks and work them out,” he said.

“Ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters… please! please! I beg of you. Do not let us degenerate the discussion to this level. My job as prime minister has been to bring emotional comfort to residents, while soliciting, from far and wide, assistance to relieve the suffering of my people.”

A number of people have taken to the airwaves here and social media complaining of political unfairness in the distribution of relief supplies, but Skerrit said, “We have put in place a clear and transparent system for the receipt, processing and distribution of relief supplies.

“No minister of Government or parliamentary representative is or should be involved in the administration of this programme. Each parliamentary representative, and I mean each of the 21 elected Parliamentary representatives, has been given a direct line of access to the administration of the relief supply service,” said Skerrit.

He said he would not be distracted “by a few radio talk show hosts, or others incapable of raising their level of debate and discourse.

“If there are problems, I invite any disgruntled parliamentary representative to speak up at our regular meetings and let us iron them out,” he said, adding that there would be a meeting of all 21 parliamentarians yesterday and all public officers co-ordinating the distribution of relief supplies would be invited.

He said they were expected to”hear grievances and also spell out, once again, the procedures that have been put in place for the procurement, management and distribution of relief supplies.

“But, I am honestly too focused on the bigger picture to be dragged into such negative, internecine warfare, that will clearly not contribute to the reduction of stress on the backs of those who suffered in this disaster,” the prime minister said.