NDP Senator defends her right as a lawyer to represent rapists

Senator and defense attorney Kay Bacchus-Baptiste says while she abhors rapists, she reserves the right to represent them.

“… I’m still a lawyer, and until I close the doors of my ‘comfortable’ profession, I reserve the right to fight for all people,” she declared last Sunday at a rally for 41st convention of the New Democratic Party(NDP) at the Arnos Vale Playing field.

Before this statement, she had been assuring her West St George constituency that she would fight for them and that she comes to give them hope and heal their fears.

“Unlike the retired teacher, with the emphasis on tired,” she commented, presumably referring to former principal Curtis King, the likely candidate of Unity Labour Party(ULP) in West George.

“I am not here looking for a food to eat…He said that is why he is running…he have to eat a food. That is his motivation,” she claimed.

“That is the major difference between him and I,” she continued, with emphasis on ‘I’, “I would be giving up the “comfort” of the legal profession.”

She quoted Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves as saying, in Parliament during the tributes to the late Sir Vincent Beache, that there are lawyers who want to get into politics but they don’t want to leave the “comfort” of the legal profession.

“But I, by putting myself to run for you, would be giving up the comfort of my profession to fight for you…and you know when it comes to fighting, I could fight,” she declared.

“I fight for the poor and the dispossessed all my life. You wouldn’t get a bigger and better fighter,” she promised.

However, she added a big “but” to this, saying, “Until I am elected to Parliament I reserve the right…you see my military outfit (she was wearing a bedazzled dark green jacket over her yellow polo which she has donned at previous rallies), I reserve the right to fight for all Vincentians. Even persons convicted of rape.”

“You know something? I abhor rapists. I abhor people who break the criminal law,” she stated, “but this country’s law says you’re innocent until proven guilty.”

She said that she still reserves the right to fight for everyone now, but added, “When I am elected to Parliament I will fight to win your wars. My people of West St George, give me the brief, give me the brief, and your battles will be won.”