Baptiste insists NDP policy about religious comment was dictated

Former New Democratic Party (NDP) Senator Anesia Baptiste is adamant that the policy of the New Democratic Party, prohibiting adverse comments about religious organizations by present and future NDP candidates, was dictated.{{more}}

This contradicts the claim of Leader of the Opposition Arnhim Eustace that the policy was not dictated, but was one that had been arrived at after much discussion.

Eustace, speaking on the NDP sponsored New Times radio program on Monday, April 23, said that the issue of the policy was brought up during an Internal Strategy Support Committee meeting held on April 17.

He said he put to the floor his concerns over comments made by Shefflorn Ballantyne, a potential NDP candidate.

According to Eustace, the policy was agreed upon by all present at that meeting except Baptiste.

The former senator disagrees.

“Contrary to what Mr Eustace said…it is not true that there was a democratic vote,” she said, adding that a caller to the New Times program last Monday had enquired and was told that it was.

“That is not the truth! I tell you before God and the Holy Angels I was there. I do not have any reason to lie,” Baptiste told members of the media, at a press conference on Wednesday, April 25, at Frenches House in Kingstown.

It was a lie to say all 16 other persons present, except her, accepted the decision Baptiste continued.

“How did one come up to that conclusion, when there was absolutely no vote.”

The former senator further contended that there were persons present who did not utter a word on the matter.

“I knew this because I was there. Was their silence treated as consent? I didn’t treat it as such, but I took note,” she said.

“Mr Eustace did dictate a policy; he even backed it up saying that he will take action if he needed to.”

She added that the language used in the statement was similar to that used by someone who had already decided on what rules should exist.

Baptiste went on to say that Eustace brought the matter to the meeting to make it appear that a consensus had been arrived at. She, however, said she received a telephone call from the party’s chairman Linton Lewis on the night of the meeting and was told that Eustace could not make a policy like that without having gone to an executive committee.

“He said he (Eustace) could not have formulated a policy like that without meeting with the party’s executive and I told him that he as the chairman should tell that to Mr Eustace,” Baptiste explained.

She added that while it was true that other members gave their own accounts of experiences with religious organizations, there was no voting on the matter.

Baptiste said that she knows that the issue was dropped and they moved on to the next agenda item after Senator Vynnette Frederick handed her recording device back to her.

“The policy was dictated and I am saying then and there I never knew the NDP had such a policy and that such a policy would seek to disqualify me from being a candidate,” Baptiste said. (DD)