There were other issues, predominantly to do with style rather than substance. – Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler in yesterday’s SUNDAY?SUN Big Interview on admitting a draft letter to Prime Minister Freundel Stuart existed.
IF?THERE?IS?ONE?THING that Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler may be marked highly for in all the imbroglio involving some of his comrades this past week, it would be his coming clean.
“Yes, I can confirm that a draft letter exists; but let me put it in context,” Mr Sinckler declared.
“For some period of time, not too long,” he continued, “some members of the party, including MPs, were a little concerned about the party’s level of public engagement on issues affecting the country.”
And Mr Sinckler did “suspect” those feelings reached “a peak” after the recent arrest of Barbadian fishermen in Trinidad waters. The MP for St Michael North-West said it was “generally felt” that the Government ought to have been much more “aggressive and forthright”.
Clearly, the concern was discussed among colleagues – at a series of informal chats “around a drink”, as Mr Sinckler put it.
It would be reasonable to assume then that Prime Minister Freundel Stuart was not present at any of these spirited confabs.
Interestingly, according to the Minister of Finance, none of this originated with him; he was not the mastermind. Who is remains a well guarded secret. But Mr Sinckler admits of “some people” putting him at the centre of it – and he is not somebody who runs from responsibility.
“I take responsibility for having worked with members to look at the issue. In fact, I specifically had a chat with both John [Boyce] and Ronald [Jones] as two of the more senior people – age-wise and otherwise – about what I felt was a situation that needed to be handled, so that it wouldn’t be distorted by other interests . . . .”
Minister of Transport and Works Boyce “ain’t saying nothing” and Minister of Education Jones keeps splitting hairs. Would Mr Boyce and Mr Jones say whether Mr Sinckler’s account of their discussion is accurate or not?
Did they not know of the “grave concern” of their fellow MPs and of the “draft letter”?
Mr Sinckler says he and some others felt that both Mr Boyce, as Leader of Government Business, and Mr Jones, acting as Prime Minister – and both senior vice-presidents of the Democratic Labour Party – should be asked to raise the possibility of a meeting with the Prime Minister.
And so, says Mr Sinckler, the request was informally made through?Mr Boyce. It may even have been have been made as well through Mr Jones.
The Minister of Finance stresses that the fellows just wanted to talk. Yet, a call for an urgent meeting when there is the facility of Cabinet meetings and parliamentary powwows?
Stoical still, Prime Minister Stuart has indicated that if be heads will roll. The Eager Eleven may get their urgent meeting after all.
The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away indeed!
