NDP calls on Speaker of House to step down

Parliamentarians on the Opposition side of the House of Assembly have issued their first warning to Speaker of the House Hendrick Alexander, calling for him to step down from the post.{{more}}

Failure to do so would result in further steps being taken by Leader of the Opposition Arnhim Eustace, as well as the other opposition parliamentarians.

At a press conference of the New Democratic Party (NDP) held at party headquarters on Wednesday, Eustace disclosed that a letter had been written to Alexander, calling for him to make way, so that a more impartial individual can be elected, in the interest of democracy in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

The letter refers to statements which the Speaker was quoted as making about the representative for Central Kingstown St Claire Leacock, in the March 30 edition of Searchlight.

The letter also cited that on various occasions, the Opposition has raised concerns about Alexander’s handling of issues related to other parliamentarians, including Dr Godwin Friday, Daniel Cummings and Nigel Stephenson.

“Other issues we have raised include the physical maltreatment of the Opposition’s Parliamentarians on March 3rd 2011, when we were manhandled and tossed out of Parliament by members of the security forces,” the letter said.

“Since there has been no retraction by you the Speaker of your comments, we conclude that they were meant for public consumption, and coming from the Speaker this is untenable since the Speaker is expected to be impartial and keeper of the peace.”

Eustace said that the letter would be followed up by action that would be deemed appropriate, if Alexander refuses to step down.

He did not indicate what that action would be.

“We have become very tired of the attitude displayed by the Speaker of the House of Assembly,” he said.

Central Kingstown representative St Claire Leacock, who was one of the Parliamentarians mentioned in the letter, said at the press conference that the House of Parliament is becoming dysfunctional, because of the interference of the Speaker.

“It is as tempting as it provocative for me to respond to the Speaker’s diatribe and I might say slander, but these are the times when we in the New Democratic Party, against great odds, have to try and take the moral high road and avoid being dragged through the mud and avoid being diverted from the issues of the day.

“And so while I join in the condemnation, I will not engage the speaker publicly in his continuous disrespect for his own office and the contempt that he continues to throw at us, members of the Parliament.

“We will continue in the New Democratic Party to do the people’s business and to do it assiduously. We will maintain the resolve in the parliament to see that the democracy of this country is protected, because the parliament is critical in this regard,” Leacock said.