Unity Labour Party (ULP) leader Ralph Gonsalves has publicly rebuked radio personalities “2 kool” and Luke Boyea, dismissing their recent criticisms and accusing them of harboring misplaced animosity and financial biases against the ULP.
Gonsalves first targeted 2 Kool, responding to claims the broadcaster allegedly made on air that the vast majority of attendees at the recent ULP National Council meeting were elderly people with “walking sticks”.
Gonsalves vehemently rejected this characterization, stating that more than half of the crowd was actually younger than 2 kool, who is in his 60s, and noted that 20 leaders from the party’s youth arm were present at the event.
Addressing what he perceived as deep-seated resentment, Gonsalves referenced a past legal incident involving 2 Kool and a firearm. He suggested that 2 Kool mistakenly believes Gonsalves orchestrated his prosecution, a claim the political leader firmly denied.
“I never got involved in any prosecution,” Gonsalves declared, adding that he was actually happy when 2 Kool was acquitted. He advised the broadcaster to “cleanse” his heart, say a prayer, and “hold a candle” instead of being instinctively hateful, though he maintained he has no personal grudge and would happily share a coconut water with him at Heritage Square.
Gonsalves then turned his attention to promoter and radio station operator Luke Boyea, grouping him with 2 Kool as individuals who are “marginal to the political process” but who are attempting to diminish the ULP’s momentum.
Gonsalves suggested that Boyea is currently benefiting from the government’s arrangements for Carnival events at Independence Park, questioning who is paying for the venue’s repairs and what Boyea is being charged to use it.
Furthermore, Gonsalves openly accused the NDP of effectively paying off Boyea to secure the full support of his radio station. To drive his point home, Gonsalves quoted the poet Martin Carter, stating, “the mouth is muzzled by the food it needs to live,” heavily implying that Boyea’s political stances are dictated by his financial incentives.
Gonsalves issued a final warning to both men, stating that as the “custodian of Labor,” he will not tolerate unwarranted attacks on the ULP family. “Don’t tamper with me. Don’t tamper with Labor,” he declared, telling the broadcasters that they can go ahead and “fool yourselves” but they cannot distract the party’s progress.