Eustace says thief stole food, left $400 and laptop

Opposition Leader, Arnhim Eustace continues to use anecdotes to highlight poverty in St Vincent and the Grenadines.{{more}}

After stating that people in the country are suffering under poverty, the president of the New Democratic Party (NDP) shared a recent story with the crowd at a rally held in Layou on Tuesday.

Eustace said that during the Carnival season, a house in his neighbourhood was broken into. He told the crowd that the homeowner had returned home to meet his refrigerator and the cupboard in which he kept his food open and all of the food was gone.

The Opposition Leader continued, stating that $400 and a laptop lay on the kitchen table, completely untouched.

“They didn’t come for money; they come for food. It’s a matter of survival,” Eustace said.

In addition, he stated that although what happened was not right by law, the individual may not have had a choice.

“That person was desperate for food and probably food for their children. What they did, under law was not right, but the alternative would have been to starve. We should not put our citizens into that position,” said the Opposition Leader.

Last Saturday, Eustace told a gathering at Langley Park that he had witnessed a man who could afford to buy only $8 worth of gas for his Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV).

In March, he was also criticized for the story that he told about a woman who credited one onion, half pound of chicken back and neck and a pound of rice from a shopkeeper in his constituency, to feed 10 persons, including her husband and eight children.

The NDP president told the gathering in Layou that he could easily tell them about 100 experiences about persons that have been in these situations.

“As a Government, we should make sure that we do the best to improve employment and income for people in our country. That is what we should be doing on a day by day basis!” Eustace said.