Eustace – Man could only afford $8 gas for SUV

Nothing seems to be working under the present administration, even the death rate is increasing.{{more}}

Arnhim Eustace, Leader of the Opposition and President of the New Democratic Party (NDP) said on Saturday at a rally in Georgetown that this was evident, as he has had to attend nine funerals in the past 14 days.

“Nothing works under the Gonsalves administration anymore,” Eustace said.

According to the Leader of the Opposition, far too many people are not able to make it.

And after calling for immediate elections to get rid of the present administration, Eustace told the story about an experience he had recently at a gas station.

Eustace told the gathering at Langley Park that he was at the gas station and parked behind a man driving a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) when the man asked the attendant to sell him $8 worth of gas.

Unleaded gasoline currently sells for $15.12 per gallon and diesel at $13.00 per gallon.

“When I talk ‘bout chicken back in New York, they say it wasn’t true, well this one is true,” Eustace said.

He continued, saying that the man in the SUV was approached by another man who inquired about the $8 gas, to which Eustace said the driver responded, with a serious face, that that was just enough to get him home.

“I use that as a joke, but it’s a symptom of what is going on in our country and what is happening to our economy,” he explained.

Eustace further explained that one would expect that someone driving an SUV would at least be part of the middle class.

But these are the signs of what is taking place currently, he said.

“It’s what is happening around us on the ground,” Eustace said, adding that he had many more stories of incidents like that.

Back in March, however, Eustace came under fire from Unity Labour Party supporters for a story he delivered at a town hall meeting in New York.

The Leader of the Opposition told the story of a woman from his constituency of East Kingstown.

“The last time I was here speaking in this hall, I gave some examples of some of the difficulties ordinary people are facing in St Vincent and the Grenadines. I speak about the poverty and increasing poverty in our country. I told you in this hall a story of a lady of my constituency who had gone to a shop and I was in the shop listening to her dealing with the shopkeeper, as I do sometimes,” Eustace said.

He explained that the woman asked the shopkeeper to credit her one onion, half pound of chicken back and neck, and a pound of rice.

When the women left, Eustace said that the shopkeeper told him that the woman just credited items to feed 10 people, including her husband and their eight children.

“So, I said, ‘How you could divide half pound of back-a-neck between 10 people? You can’t.’ Only to find out that that is 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.

But despite the heavy criticism, Eustace responded then that he was not going to apologise for the statements he had made.

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

“I hear 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,” he continued. (DD)