KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent – The allowance given to Opposition Leader Arnhim Eustace to run an office in his East Kingstown constituency is used to the benefit of his constituents, Eustace said on Monday.
“Mr. Eustace, when are you going to open your constituency office and stop taking the money and do your own thing with it?” asked a caller to an NDP-sponsored radio talk show on which Eustace makes a weekly appearance.
“My own thing? I use my constituency allowance for the people in my constituency and more than that – other monies from my salary,” said Eustace, who has been representing East Kingstown since 1998.
“That is what I have to say on that. I have an office in the constituency. [Should I] open another one to pay a secretary and a cleaner and they alone benefit? I use the money in my constituency and other money from my salary every single month,” he further stated.
Some persons have questioned Eustace’s use of the EC$1,500 allowance parliamentary representatives get every month to operate a constituency office. They say Eustace does not have a constituency office.
But the Opposition Leader, who has an office at the NDP’s headquarters at Democrat House along Murray’s Road, said that office also doubles at his constituency office.
He said that if the money were used to staff a separate office, it would only benefit the persons that work there.