Leacock warns parliamentarians with skeletons in closets

Parliamentarians with skeletons in their closets should be on their guard.

Central Kingstown representative St Claire Leacock has threatened to expose the “skeletons” of the nation’s lawmakers, if pressed to do so.{{more}}

But, in the meantime, he said, he has decided to take the high road in dealing with Minister of Education and Deputy Prime Minister Girlyn Miguel’s comments in Parliament Thursday, that she saved him from going to jail.

Leacock announced on NICE Radio yesterday that he would be “taking steps very slowly, carefully and systematically” to be vindicated in Parliament.

Should it be necessary, however, he can get dirty, Leacock said on “New Times”, sponsored by the New Democratic Party, of which he is a vice-president.

“… This is as much as I would say this morning: every man, woman and child in this country, whether it is they directly, or their family, have some skeleton in the cupboard, which they prefer buried and die there.

“I am not offering that as a defence to my particular situation, but what could be revealed on any one of us or someone in our family is just simply unfortunate …

“There are people in the Parliament who still owe me, who are still indebted to me for goods they trust from me you know — and haven’t paid me up to today.

“There are people in Parliament who I can take other actions against. There are those in the Parliament who have sent their concubines to me, when I was at VINLEC as HR (Human Resources) manager to employ them, and play most decent in this town and the city you know.”

Last Thursday in Parliament, during a verbal exchange across the floor, Miguel suggested that she had interceded on Leacock’s behalf, saving the opposition lawmaker from prison.

Her comments and subsequent refusal to withdraw them resulted in the opposition members walking out of the House.

“If you are saying I did not commit a crime, how you could turn round and say to a House you save me from jail?” Leacock said on radio yesterday.

“I was never charged by anybody for a crime. I was never arrested by the police for a crime. I was never accused for a crime. I never appeared in the courts for a crime. I have never ever in my life appeared in the witness box in the criminal or civil courts of SVG on a criminal matter, and I pray God that I don’t have to,” he further said.

“Even if I was guilty of something, why 20 something years after, you feel you want to come and throw this in my face? I can tell Girlyn and other of their transgressions that are 20 years old, and even more recent times. I can go back beyond that to Ralph and company, to mother and father stories. They want those in Parliament? I will call their names individually and collectively, when the time is necessary.”

Leacock claimed that the attack on him had been premeditated, in an effort to embarrass him, but said that just as in the past, he would rise above it in the end.

“It is a very serious matter, clearly a planned and orchestrated assault on my character and my person.

“I think that is intended to get me out of the way to make room for others, who they may find that Central Kingstown, is an easier place to have a pushover if the major is not in the way…

“… This was a plan including the Speaker of the House, because I’ve been bending over backwards to function in the House within the rules.”

Leacock added: “The people of St Vincent and the Grenadines have been put in a position before, that they have to make a judgment on who or what is St Claire Leacock, and they have judged me twice at the national level … If it’s the will of the Lord, I shall present myself again to the people to make that judgment, I am not afraid about that.”

The former head of the Cadet Corps, President of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation, the Employment Federation and other national bodies, stressed that he was willing to take the moral road in the matter.

“I’ll say this much, that one of the key persons who will have to be involved in this matter is not at my disposal at this moment to guide how much further the matter should go.

“If it is necessary, and the time comes the way, I will defend myself; a lot of people are going to be very unhappy about it, but I will do so in a way that doesn’t disrespect myself.

“And all those who feel that they can line up to destroy me would understand that whenever I face these challenges in my life I rise to the occasion and step up another notch. But be aware, be aware…” Leacock warned.