Opposition Leader calls on Government to bring end to victimization

Leader of the Opposition Arnhim Eustace wants to see an end to victimization by the Government and has sent an early warning to his party that he will not tolerate such behaviour.{{more}}

At a public meeting of the New Democratic Party (NDP) last Saturday at Lowmans Windward, Eustace said that in the months after the Unity Labour Party (ULP) took office in 2001, 641 persons were fired by the new Government.

“In five months, 641 of them had been fired – we put the whole list together where they live, with their telephone number and what they used to do,” the Leader of the Opposition said.

He explained that he and St Claire Leacock, now Parliamentary Representative for Central Kingstown, took the list to the Christian Council.

He said the members of the Christian Council indicated that they were happy that the Opposition had come to them, as they were expected to meet with Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves later on that day, Eustace said.

But according to Eustace, the following day, when the pPrime Minister reported to the House on the meeting, he (Gonsalves) stated that the Christian Council had agreed with all that he said.

“So, you know what we did? We went to Barbados. Leacock and myself held a press conference at the Island Inn Hotel and explained what had been done in St Vincent and the Grenadines,” Eustace said.

He said the issue was not highlighted by the local media and when the news began to come back here, that was when the media called to inquire why they went to Barbados to hold a press conference.

“I tell them to go to hell,” Eustace said.

Among those who were affected Eustace said, was a man who was a watchman, whose wife worked as a timekeeper, who still had children attending school.

“They took away every single means he had of making money – he doesn’t even live in St Vincent anymore,” the Opposition Leader said.

“That is the level of victimization we had going on, the divisiveness of it that was going on in this country.”

Eustace urged those present not to forget incidents such as those.

He explained that it was also a warning to his political party.

According to the Leader of the Opposition, events like those impacted people’s lives.

He said that it was not possible to be in support of evil, yet have a political career.

“People have a democratic right to vote for who they want; they have that right given by the constitution of this country,” Eustace said.

These are the things, he said, that contribute to poverty.(DD)