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Vice-President of the NDP and incumbent MP for Central Kingstown, St. Clair Leacock. (iWN file photo)
Vice-President of the NDP and incumbent MP for Central Kingstown, St. Clair Leacock. (iWN file photo)
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Member of Parliament for Central Kingstown, St. Clair Leacock says Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves’ legal training clouded his handling of the repatriation of Vincentians seafarers affected by COVID-19.

“The truth be told, COVID allowed us to see that the emperor has no clothes; they have this thing that they keep representing themselves over and over and over again,” Leacock said on NICE Radio on Wednesday.

Leacock said that “having lost the argument” regarding the repatriation of Vincentian seafarers and students affected by COVID-19, Gonsalves is “shifting the goalposts”.

“And as [former Speaker of the House of Assembly] Jomo [Thomas] used to say, you have to learn to follow the bouncing ball. So don’t let him set your agenda,” Leacock said.

He said that the prime minister has the benefit of state apparatus including conversations with diplomats that allows him to speak on a first name basis and anecdotally. 

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“But it doesn’t mean that fundamentally that the argument that he is forwarding is necessarily true. So we have to understand how we adjust and stick to fundamentals,” Leacock said.

Gonsalves’ government has outlined a number of protocols for the repatriation of Vincentians sailors and oil rig workers, including cruise lines paying for the quarantine of persons who test positive for COVID-19.

Leacock said that the fundamental of the repatriation issue is that “the first order of the day for a prime minister of a country is to look after the safety and security of his people.

“Money comes after. That has nothing to do with legal arguments,” he said.

Gonsalves has said that his government’s position is supported by international law and common law.

Leacock further stated:

“The persons who brought home and look best after the students and the sailors in the region, Holness in Jamaica is not a lawyer, Rowley in Trinidad is not a lawyer, the President Granger in Guyana is not a lawyer, the Prime Minister of St. Kitts who did the same thing is not a lawyer; in St. Lucia, Chastanet is not a lawyer, Mitchell in Grenada is not a lawyer, and they did it on moral and principled argument and all’s well that ends well. Not every other day you go into some negotiation exercise,” Leacock said.  

7 replies on “‘COVID allowed us to see that the emperor has no clothes’ — Leacock”

  1. Where there’s lots of lawyers there’s lots of crime and corruption. I would strongly advise any young Vincentian who might be aspiring to become a lawyer to do something else if they want to become nation builders. Do not make a lawyer your role model. Just look at our own Gunsalves and you’ll see that [… he] leads to an impoverished and underdeveloped society and people.

  2. Jacinthgumbs says:

    Please you all NDP had your chances 18years.and denied me the opportunity to exam because my mother support Labor party. Shame shame shame shame shame shame shame shame shame shame shame. If you people go back there you will all destroy st.vincent. I need my country for when I come home. To retirement

  3. (Kenton will probably not publish my comment for only he knows why) As a Vincentian, I love my country and my country people dearly that is why from time to time when the stench becomes overwhelming I write a comment. What upsets me most of the time is the amount of poverty present in SVG and nobody seems to know better. Not Gonsalves for sure. Just look at how he handles this critical situation. He has no love for ordinary Vincentians. St.Vincent and the Grenadines is turning into a con man’s paradise. Honest people are turning to crime to sustain themselves and their families. It is as if the government has no responsibilities to the people of this nation. They can’t even get a factory of two so people can earn an honest living. All I want to see is real development in SVG. I’m sure that most people are tired of the same ole thing every time all the time.

  4. Major, your people should push to get the freedom of information act passed asap. Because as another man said — ‘the blinds have been drawn back exposing the fact the people in charge don’t know what they are doing’ –, something like your view.

  5. Monica Rosa says:

    What is wrong with some of these vincentians you all have over there. I was just reading some comments on this blog and I think you ladies need to get your act together and also your lives. Why dont you all leave gonsalves run the country the way it is running now. The ones you all are hoping to run saint vincent looks like thief bate and scrongels. When I see leacock speak it makes my stomach churn. That’s the man you all looking to really run saint vincent. Come on people. I was home last year and I have not seen a better advance place with all the changes that’s been made through out the years. He was a lawyer at a young age and now head of government who is trying to fight for the people well being. You all make me feel disgusted when I read Iwithness news. He have his faults, but you cant find a better prime minister than Ralph. I saw them all. The only one I did not have the opportunity to be around was mitchal and he bankrupted your dawn country. How about that. kenton curby is doing a good job. Get you all lives together please.

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