Two wrongs don’t make a right
Last week Wednesday night at Sion Hill, opposition Senator St. Claire Leacock said that he would pay someone to burn down the Unity Labour Party’s large billboard at Sion Hill if it was not removed. In fact he even told the crowd how much it would cost him to have the deed done.
If indeed someone decides to light the sign afire and during the blaze a person is hurt or property damaged who would be liable? {{more}}If the burning is carried out at the direct instruction of the Senator wouldn’t he be liable to very serious charges? Even if he did not personally instruct or pay the individual carrying out the act, every finger would point at him because of the public statement he had previously made.
Politicians need to be very careful about what they do and say, not only on political platforms, but also in their daily lives. They must learn tongue-control even in the heat of the moment or this loss of control may come back to haunt them.
Let us hope by now Senator Leacock has had second thoughts about what he said, with some remorse. And if he has, he should retract his statement, as two wrongs don’t make a right.
At the same meeting, Opposition Leader Arnhim Eustace got quite heated and warned the ruling party not to push him too far. Was he supporting Senator Leacock? Eustace as Leader of the Opposition has to distance himself from those arson threats if his core mission statement about a kinder, gentler society is to be believed. Soon after the last elections in December the opposition leader was very clear when he said he was totally against the call by some party supporters for blood and violence, and if that was what they want they would have to go without him. And as one call-in programme host asked recently “How can a party turn from docile to Bin Laden and the Taliban in one week?”
That sort of behaviour should never be encouraged in this country. Let us protest and fight for our rights, but always within the law.
That being said, if the sign is indeed there illegally, the Government should have it removed now. Government cannot on one hand be setting policy and making rules and still turn around and show blatant disregard for them in full view of the public.
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