ST. VINCENT: – The opposition candidate, who on Sept. 16 attended a political rally organized by the ruling Unity Labour Party (ULP) in Green Hill, said he did so to send a message to Prime Minsiter Dr. Ralph Gonsalves.
Senator St. Clair Leacock, the New Democratic Party’s (NDP) candidate for Central Kingstown, told IKTV that attending the meeting “was one of my ways of sending that message to [Gonsalves], that I will address his onslaught on my personality”.
Leacock said Gonsalves has tried to portray him as someone with a bad character. (Go to the homepage to subscribe to I Witness-News)
“His famous phrase for this election is that the Treasury, for example, will run away from me. And, these things do not do good for my own character, for my own contribution on the national level here. What is most painful about it is that there is no more vulnerable politician in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, perhaps in the Caribbean, than Ralph Gonsalves himself,” Leacock said in an interview with IKTV.
“In fact, I must say to you, that there is nothing in my present life or in my past that I would exchange for the accusations that are being levelled at the Prime Minister. And somebody needs to put a stop to his out-of-placeness and that was one of my ways of sending that message to him, that I will address his onslaught on my personality,” Leacock said.
Leacock said he “showed up at that meeting” in Green Hill and “took a position in the meeting which allowed for minimum of distractions in the meeting”. (Follow I Witness-News on Facebook)
Elvis Charles is the ULP candidate for Central Kingstown and Leacock said that when Charles addressed the meeting, he (Leacock) “came forward where I would reduce the level of distraction and be able to stare him straight in his face”.
“I am pleased to say that I did not hear from Mr. Charles any of the acidity that is now becoming the future of the Unity Labour Party administration. But consistently, the Prime Minister was all over the place, and literally assassinating the character of anyone that moves within the New Democratic Party,” Leacock said.
“These are the outrages that I think we should address because he has admitted that his mouth is foul. He demonstrated that last evening, and I looked him in the eyes so that when I respond, I could have an objective basis for my statements. And that’s all that took place last evening,” Leacock said.
Edwin Snagg of the ULP, speaking at another ULP rally on Sunday, Sept 19., said Leacock invaded the rally at Green Hill, adding that the senator’s presence at the event was a “dangerous situation”.
“…When an opposition candidate invades the meeting of another and to stand right up in the platform, it is a dangerous situation, it’s volatile, and anything could happen,” Snagg said.
He further said Leacock’s presence at the meeting shows that democracy is “alive and well” in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.