Gonsalves says response to Frederick may have been misconstrued
Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves says his response to Opposition senator Vynette Frederick about a young woman working at Frederickâs motherâs home, may have been misconstrued.{{more}}
The exchange between Gonsalves and Frederick took place in Parliament on December 4, as the senator debated the 2012 Estimates.
The prime minister told the Unity Labour Partyâs convention Sunday that when he told Frederick that there must be a specific reason why a young lady with eight âOâ Levels and four âAâ Levels works at her motherâs house, he meant the employee was also a family member.
âOther people who heard what I said may have thought something else,â Gonsalves told the gathering at West St George Secondary School.
âAll I meant is that that must have been a family member,â he continued.
Gonsalves interrupted Frederickâs contribution to the debate of the Estimates after she charged that a number of the nationâs youth were underemployed and mentioned the case of the young lady who, she said, had no choice but to resort to doing domestic work.
âUnderemployment is the order of the day, so that a young lady with eight âOâ Levels and four âAâ Levels would catch her hand by cleaning my motherâs home two days a week â what a revolution,â Frederick said.
The prime minister interjected, saying that there had to be specific reasons why someone that qualified had to find work at the residence of the senatorâs mother.
Frederick further commented that it was better that the young lady works at her motherâs residence than that of the prime minister.
ââ¦we know what happens at your home,â Frederick said.
Gonsalves later asked the senator to tell Parliament what sort of activity takes place at his residence, but she declined comment. (DD)