KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent — Parliamentary representative for Central Kingstown, St. Clair Leacock said yesterday that he would in time address his “home situation” on radio, adding that his “imperfection” was on the front page of newspapers recently.
Leacock did not give details but said that he would not hang his head in shame and was prepared to counter any fingers pointed at him in Parliament.
While Leacock, an opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) vice president, did not identify the “newspapers” in which his “imperfection” made the front page, The News published a story last week in which it said that a woman repeatedly slapped a politician in a Central Kingstown community recently.
The newspaper, however, did not identify the politician, the woman, or the relationship between them but said the woman asked the politician is that is the way in which they wanted to run government.
Leacock’s comments yesterday came as he endorsed and supported the leadership of NDP president, Opposition Leader Arnhim Eustace.
Eustace, who came to helm of the NDP in 2000, has lead the party to three successive defeats although it won an additional four seats in the December 2010 elections.
Some of the party’s critics and supporters have called for Eustace to quit as the party leader.
“Like any of us, he has his imperfection,” Leacock said of Eustace. “I have mine. Mine was on the street recently. Mine was on the road recently. Mine was on the front page of newspapers recently,” Leacock said.
“The time will come when I will speak about my own imperfection because I don’t hide and ‘fraid those because I am a public figure,” he further stated. “I have been through the horse pipe but, like all, I have my imperfection … and I take blame and responsibility for all my public actions and where I have to apologise and where I have to be contrite, I do that.
“But I am not going to hold my head down because I am a vice president in a political party,” Leacock said, adding that there is nothing about the NDP to be ashamed of but much of which to be proud.
“I will speak to my imperfections because I know I have to address them. My home situation, I will address it in the fullness of time on the radio. Because when I have to come contrite, when I have to apologise, or express regrets to my constituents over certain matter and address how I am going to move forward by formal and lawful means, I will do that,” Leacock said.
“Me ain’t like the rest politicians and them, you know. Because anyone of them who raise that to point a finger at me in the Parliament, they have to run for cover you know. Run! Because I have worked and sweated too hard in this town to drop my chin,” Leacock said.
“None of them more value-laden than me; none of them. So all of those who want to climb up on the altar of morality and so forth, I could deal with that; but time will,” Leacock said.
Leacock said that he is “not afraid to walk away from being a vice president of the New Democratic Party … if that was required to carry the NDP forward.
“If somebody younger than me came and say they want to be vice president I [am] not even waiting. If a younger member come tomorrow and say they want to be representative in Central Kingstown, I not waiting; I gone,” he said.
“But I will stay on as long as I feel I can hold Central Kingstown to be part of an NDP forming a government,” said Leacock, who won his seat in the December 2010 election.