“We’re going to have war, and when we have war, I am not looking up or looking down at anybody for help. I’m standing on my principles and what I believe in, and that’s what I will die for.”
At the next parliamentary session, opposition member St. Clair Leacock and Speaker Rochelle Forde will face off. On Wednesday, Leacock hinted at this during the NDP’s New Times programme on Nice Radio.
Leacock stated that he is not in Parliament at the behest of ‘Ralph’ (PM) or speaker Rochelle Forde, and that there is a perpetual war when it comes to submitting questions.
“I just submitted a question to the parliament to ask the Minister of Urban Development whether she would be prepared to go through the constituency with me to see the things that need a policy framework, not the operations, the policy framework, to say that these things are out of place and need to be attended to, that she could nudge her portfolio minister to give those attention.”
“I identified ‘Damwall’ for example, a place where the children from Largo Height, Dasent Cottage, and Old Montrose walk over a river at great risk. Sometimes you have to hold on to a piece of fine wire like Tarzan to come across the place and walk on the embankment to come to Lodge Village School.”
“She ‘the speaker’ is telling me that I cannot put that into my question, ‘Damwall’, because this defies some rules. You know, those things are irritating. She is unable to see the damn things that need to be addressed in Parliament, yet she delights in coming to flex on individuals such as myself. That ain’t happening; it ain’t going to happen.”
Leacock stated that in the upcoming session of Parliament, he intends to present his question.
“I am going to read my question; she can stop me from reading my question. I’m going to read my question, and she will stop me from asking it. And then they’ll throw me out. Because of all this kind of intervention, you’re most bright and most this and most that, but you have no strength for Ralph,” he said.
Leacock expressed that this confrontation will lead to a disturbance that will extend to familial relations, and he hopes for his message conveyed on the radio today (Wednesday) to reach her.
“I hope it reaches her; I hope that her immediate family hears as well, because I’ve had relations for years but am not compromising on these issues. And I am using strong language because she (the Speaker) is using every opportunity in Parliament to defy the fact that there is a constitution. There’s a word called democracy with a big D. And there’s a thing called representative politics, and there’s a thing called good governance. And she should be a facilitator of these things. She is too much of a gatekeeper and is putting up guardrails to keep an iniquitous regime in office,” the opposition MP stated.
Leacock stated that he is too old and too far along in his life and journey to be set aside simply because the speaker holds a brief office. “Save that for somebody else,” he repeated.
“So we’re going to have war, and when we have war, I am not looking up or looking down at anybody to help me. I’m standing on my principles and what I believe in, and that’s what I will die for,” Leacock stated.
