Eustace says he will not apologise for chicken back, neck statement

Leader of the Opposition Arnhim Eustace says that he will not apologise for statements made while addressing Vincentians living in New York during a recent town hall meeting there.{{more}}

“I make no apology to anyone in relation to that matter – no apology whatsoever. I am not going to hide the reality,” Eustace said.

“I hear a lot of comments about what I said in New York, but I don’t think I said anything there that I have not said in St Vincent,” Eustace said Monday during the New Times radio programme.

He said that since his return, he has heard all sorts of statements, but the fact remained that he had a responsibility as the Leader of the Opposition to express views on the issues that confronted the nation.

“I did just that,” he said.

The Leader of the Opposition said that he did not have a prepared speech, but rather some notes on the issues that he wanted to touch on.

“Some of the comments I have been told about and some I have heard amuse me – some people think I should not mention that some people can’t make it in terms of buying food or because I mentioned a situation with a woman eating chicken back. The fact remains that it is the truth,” Eustace said.

“ I’m not there to cuddle anybody and to give an impression to the world that everything is hunky-dory in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

“People are suffering in this country…and whenever that happens I will speak,” he continued.

Eustace, in his presentation about the state of the economy and the problems being faced by those who live here, told the story of a woman in his constituency who went to a shop and credited a small onion, half a pound of chicken back and neck and a pound of rice.

“And when she left, the shopkeeper told me that is for 10 people for Sunday,” Eustace said.

“So I said, how could you divide half pound of back and neck between 10 people? You can’t; only to find out that what she did, they steam it and so on, put it in a muslin cloth and squeeze out the juice on top the rice,” he said.

According to Eustace, he made reference to the person before in a previous town hall meeting in the United States.

He further contended that it was a known fact by many that there were people who were forced to put back items at supermarkets.

“Everybody knows that; what they pretending about?

“I was speaking to Vincentians in New York, I know that others are listening; the point has to be made that things are not good here in St Vincent and the Grenadines – they are not,” the Leader of the Opposition said.

“We should be considering what should be done to improve the situation here. That is what we should be concentrating on,” he continued.

Eustace further stated that he was not bothered by those who criticized, saying that that was how people were living in the country, that some could not make ends meet and that they resorted to doing things that they ought not to.

“I know of umpteen stories I could tell of matters of that sort.

“If we can’t say it, who is to say it?” he questioned.

“I promise that the party I represent here this morning will be in a position to do so not too long from now to try to break the back of poverty and mismanagement that has characterized the society in which we live,” the Leader of the Opposition said. (DD)