NDP was hypocritical in its support – Baptiste

Leader of the Democratic Republican Party (DRP) Anesia Baptiste has declared that there is hypocrisy in the New Democratic Party’s (NDP) support of the behaviour of their supporters at Elwardo Lynch’s funeral.

Baptiste was speaking on IKTV’s Unrendered programme last Sunday, when she shared her views on the matter.

The former NDP senator revealed that she had seen posts on Facebook {{more}}that encouraged persons to boo if an appearance was made by Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves at the funeral and to noisily walk out of church if he tried to make an address. She said church was not the place for such behaviour to have occurred.

“It is evident to me that it was planned. I read the comments and what I would call the incitement to that kind of behaviour that were put on Facebook by persons who are considered to be mouthpieces for the NDP. I read them days before. I saw them for myself. I am not aware that the leader of the NDP, knowing about that, made any calls for people not to go and do that,” Baptiste said.

“For me, it was an issue. It wasn’t a place for any sort of ‘protest’, against the Prime Minister because it was a funeral service. It didn’t show, like I said, sensitivity in regards to the right to choose or the freedom of choice of the family members who wanted the gentleman (Dr Ralph Gonsalves) there.”

Following the funeral, Leader of the Opposition Arnhim Eustace told SEARCHLIGHT that the people were “exercising their democratic rights,” when they behaved as they did.

In reference to that comment, Baptiste questioned the kind of message the Opposition is sending to the public and noted that the leadership should be making strides towards uniting the people rather than causing divisions.

Additionally, the DRP leader accused the NDP of being hypocritical in their stance to support the behaviour, especially since she was supposedly fired for disagreeing with one of their policies that addressed making adverse comments about religion.

“The policy essentially said that no candidate or potential candidate should make public statements which are adverse to any religion,” she explained.

“What could be more adverse and offensive to religion, to the Anglican religion, to Anglicans, than the display of NDP supporters and the fact that no leader stood up to quiet them on that Saturday at Mr Lynch’s funeral? What could be more adverse? It is hypocritical that I was fired over some so-called policy, which I didn’t break, yet, according to them, but because I disagreed with the policy itself. It is the biggest joke and it is hypocritical and it shows that the real issue in firing me was no policy about adverse comments against religion. It was other issues and not that. That is why today they can’t even stand for their own policy in their behaviour.”

Furthermore, Baptiste opined that their decision has negatively impacted on their administration as they have lost the support of some of their members.

“People could choose to behave right and people could choose to do what is right and do what is more appropriate in appropriate circumstances et cetera and in this case, the NDP failed and they have lost. There are persons I know, die hard NDP supporters otherwise, who are so upset over the behaviour that they have said they are done. They can’t believe that they would have stooped so low,” she said.(BK)