PM rejects Leacock’s people prostituting themselves claim

Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves has rejected recent claims by an opposition politician that some Vincentians “have to prostitute themselves to make ends meet”.

The claim was made on radio last Wednesday, August 24 by Member of Parliament for Central Kingstown, St Clair Leacock.

He was at the time speaking on the New Democratic Party’s (NDP) New Times programme on Nice Radio.

Stating that Leacock made “a bad statement,” Gonsalves said the allegation was “outrageous.”

The prime minister noted that the wording of the allegation suggests that both men and women are prostituting themselves because of hard times.

In his rebuttal on WEFM’s Issue at Hand programme on Sunday, August 28, Gonsalves said, “ I know that the women in this country overwhelmingly are disciplined and hard-working and look out for themselves and their families in a way which is responsible and a way which is consistent with human dignity, and do not go about prostituting themselves.”

The prime minister was asked for a response to Leacock’s claim by host of the programme, Cecil Ryan.

“This is the kind of excessive, outlandish language for which St Clair has become notorious for uttering,” Gonsalves quipped.

He added that this is probably the reason why Leacock was not preferred for leadership of the New Democratic Party.

Gonsalves expressed the view that Leacock’s statement “lacks balance, and aspects of it are completely false and disrespectful to the population, and particularly women.”

“It is just plain wrong.”

He said the women in Central Kingstown do not prostitute themselves, and hoped that upon reflection, the Central Kingstown MP realises that what he said was “completely wrong.”

Leacock who is a vice president of the NDP was lamenting the state of unemployment and the financial difficulties faced by some people, noting that something is fundamentally wrong in the country.

Ryan said he hopes that Leacock offers an apology to the people of St Vincent and the Grenadines.