PM defends his decision to meet with Sir James

Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves has reacted to what he termed trivial matters in relation to his recent announcement that he and former Prime Minister Sir James Mitchell had collaborated on arranging a meeting of a top cocoa official.{{more}}

Speaking at a media briefing Wednesday, Gonsalves said that the collaboration was on an issue that had potential benefit to the people of this country.

“That matter overrides everything else,” he contended.

He further explained that the cross-talk that had subsequently followed the announcement which had been made during the April 5 sitting of Parliament was nothng but a secondary matters.

“What is wrong with two persons who have occupied this office for 26 years to collaborate on a matter which may advance the position of St Vincent?” he questioned.

The prime minister’s comments comes days after Opposition Leader Arnhim Eustace said on a radio programme that he had no prior knowledge of any meeting between members of the government and an official from Armarjaro.

“I want to say very bluntly that the New Democratic Party (NDP) leadership was unaware of any discussions being held to pass on the cocoa project,” Eustace said on Nice Radio’s New Times programme last Monday, April 11.

He went on to say that the meeting itself came as a surprise and that he did not want to give the impression that his party had any prior knowledge of any scheduled meeting.

The reaction came to the prime minister’s announcement in Parliament that Sir James had been in contact with him on two matters, one of which was to sit in with the official.

The issue of cocoa production had been an issue during the recent General Elections campaign when Eustace had announced that a cocoa company, Armajaro, had expressed an interest in investing here.

Eustace further said that he felt that since the project was one of the NDP’s major projects that the party should have been made aware of such a meeting.

However, the prime minister contended that there was no reason both men could not collaborate on the issue.

“We mustn’t talk to one another? …I must get permission from the Cabinet and before Sir James speaks to me he must talk to somebody else?” Gonsalves questioned.

“This is preposterous. He (Sir James) and I know more than anybody else what it is to be prime minister,” he added.

Gonsalves further stated that too often political activists on both sides constrained political leaders and they often are unable to act in the best interest of the nation.

“Listen to your base, but listen to your conscience, and you have to do what is good for your country,” he said. (DD)