Eustace says PM disrespectful

Opposition Leader Arnhim Eustace has expressed his concern about several issues.

At a press conference on Friday, November 4, at his party’s headquarters, Eustace described the call by Dr. Gonsalves for the Customs Authority to search him when he comes in through the airport as disrespectful.{{more}}

The Opposition Leader said that the Prime Minister accused him of bringing into the country over $10,000 from Business tycoon Allan Stanford to fund his party’s campaign without notifying authorities at the airport.

Eustace said he knows that bringing that amount of money through the airport is illegal and to accuse him of such an act was disrespectful. He said that while there would be picong in politics such lies and disrespect were unnecessary.

On the issue of illegal registration Eustace charged that there were persons registering voters at their homes and his party will make sure that persons who engaged in such acts will have the full charges brought against them. He pointed out that a letter was written to the Supervisor of Elections which gave

him evidence of a woman who was doing this in the East Kingstown Constituency where he was going to contest for his seat.

He said the penalty for this is $750 and six months in jail and not being able to register for elections for the next seven years. He said it was vital to have a clean voters’ list and said that he will call for the persons to be prosecuted.

Eustace further warned against the government setting up a government- owned oil industry and stressed that such activities were better run by the private sector. He said that government must help to support the private sector, not compete with it.

The NDP East Kingstown candidate explained that his party will set up a ministry to facilitate the expansion and development of infrastructure and other services in the private sector to deal with developmental problems, notably unemployment.

Eustace also noted that economic growth does not necessarily mean economic development.

He said figures like percentage increase or negative growth of the GDP do not tell of who has benefited and how the growth has been distributed. He said the most important challenge facing the country was the distribution of wealth because of poverty, unemployment and human suffering.