Senator Leacock misinforming public

4.MAY.07

EDITOR: Honourable Senator Leacock, in last week’s papers suggested that the government had a hand in the finding of the ballots in the old printery and that the government would use the knowledge of the votes for victimization purposes. What nonsense!

First of all, the ballots were in store for more than one year, no one tampered with them. Why now, after one year?{{more}}

Secondly, the information in the box corresponds to that which was already disclosed so there can be no accusation of cheating, yet the NDP is looking for something.

Thirdly, the lower half of the ballots found in the box do not identify an individual voter, rather it identifies the candidate for whom the vote was cast. The upper half of the ballot, which identifies the voter by number, was removed after voting and placed in an envelope. If that part is discovered, all that it would reveal is that the particular person did vote.

Further, it would not be possible to re-connect both halves of the ballot accurately once it has been removed.

After the ballots are used and stored, the information one can receive from them is what is already known, as is the case in this instance.

If blame is to be apportioned, it must fall on the Electoral Office. The officials thousands of Vincentians whom he claimed were victimized by the government. To date he has not done so but he knows well who got victimized in this country. The ULP righted all the historic wrongs of the New Democractic Party. acted carelessly in this matter. Further, the ballots should have been destroyed after one year, hence, finding them should not have been possible. So for the NDP to jump and say, “see we have found the stolen ballots” is gross ignorance and to think that such ignorance was supported and passed on NDP-FM is appalling.

(No doubt Mr. Eustace distanced himself from such ignorance on the part of those who wished that Dr. Gonsalves had died in the accident. But what Mr. Eustace shied away from is the fact that such ignorance is associated with a group of people of whom he is leader.)

Editor, the information in the ballot box cannot be identified and the Senator knows that, but he continues to misinform for petty political reasons which characterises the New Democratic Party.

Editor, on the issue of victimization, Mr. Eustace was challenged in the House to submit the names of the

1. The workers on the estates of Orange Hill, Colonarie, Richmond and elsewhere after the NDP victimized them for 17 years in not giving them their severance pay, were paid by the ULP.

2. Edgar Cruickshank got his severance pay after the NDP fired him and refused to pay him for 17 years and Mr. Eustace knows this.

3. Let the Senator talk about former police officers including Nick Dougan who got no promotion for 17 years under the NDP and who had to salute officers who were trained by him.

4. Let the Senator ask for a list of all the historic wrongs righted by the ULP since 2001 and he would see where victimization lies.

Come on Senator Leacock, be honest and stop the propaganda if you want to win a seat and challenge Mr. Eustace for the leadership of the New Democratic Party. But can you?

Thomas Burke