NDP members return to House

A refusal by New Democratic Party’s (NDP) parliamentary representative for Central Kingstown St Clair Leacock to refer to Dr Ralph Gonsalves as Prime Minister caused a stir in the House of Assembly last Thursday.

Leacock and the other NDP members of parliament, including their two nominated members, made a surprise showing at the House and fully participated in the day’s proceedings, including the debate on the Petrocaribe {{more}}(special purpose) Fund Bill.

Before the debate started, Leacock explained why the NDP had decided to attend Parliament, having pledged to stay away from meetings in protest of the results of the December 9, 2015 general elections.

“There always will be issues and matters of national importance that supersede the very high ideals held by the NDP, which are tried and tested and whenever there is a convergence of those issues, we in the NDP never hesitate to place country before party,” said Leacock, who urged persons not to underestimate the resolve of the stance that the NDP has taken, “in furtherance, in promotion and in defence of this country’s democracy.”

Leacock added that the NDP is resolute that they were victorious at the general elections in December 2015, at which time PM Gonsalves interrupted, stating that NDP was not victorious in December.

“One can have any set of opinions, but one must have a matrix of facts. The NDP did not have a victory on December 9,” said Gonsalves, who noted that electoral writs were returned to the Governor General by the constitutional authority to say eight candidates of the Unity Labour Party (ULP) won their seats and seven from the NDP and the Parliament cannot be used to treat an opinion as a fact.

“I do not know what this has to do with the Bill and he knows he cannot do that,” Gonsalves said.

Leacock responded that the NDP, through the court system and through other lawful protestations will continue to be heard and felt.

Moving on, Leacock referred to the Prime Minister as “the honourable member for North Central Windward,” to which the PM rebutted, “Mr Speaker, I am the Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines and the standing orders require that I so be referred to. If he doesn’t do that, I’m requesting that you ask of him to refer to me as the honourable prime minister…if he cannot do that Mr Speaker, then the matter is up to you.”

Leacock, in answering, said that the House rules allow him to refer to other members by the constituency that he or she represents, to which the Prime Minister commented, “not if he holds an office…,” to which Leacock said, “there is no big hang-up on referring to you as the Prime Minister, because it ain’t going to take off anything,” to which the Gonsalves stressed, “well call me what I am.”

Leacock responded, “You wouldn’t like me to call you what you are…it not going to take off anything off of my skin.”

At that point, Speaker of the House Jomo Thomas asked that Leacock move on and debate the Bill at hand.

Prior to last Thursday’s appearance in Parliament, the Opposition members had absented themselves, without excuse, from the previous three consecutive meetings of the House, causing Clerk of the House Nicole Herbert to write to them, drawing their attention to the provisions of Standing Order 74(2). She advised, in her letters dated June 1, that should their absence from meetings of House continue without excuse for three more consecutive meetings, their seats would become vacant. (LC)