Leader of the Opposition Allen Chastanet has made it clear that he was not in agreement with parliament’s choice of guest speaker for this week’s special session celebrating Adult Suffrage. Chastanet spoke on the issue Wednesday at a United Workers Party (UWP) press conference.
“We were brought together with the intention of celebrating Adult Suffrage. I do and did not respect the choice parliament made of bringing a former prime minister, a person who has been divisive in his politics and has a long track record as to how he has dealt with Sir John, and he has dealt with me, and also that he is clearly partisan in his politics, and to bring him here under the guise that he was a historian.”
Chastanet assessed that if that was the intention then the guest speaker failed because choosing a side was not part of the job of a historian. The Leader of the Opposition further stated that the recollection of the guest speaker as it relates to our history in connection with Adult Suffrage indicated clearly that he was ‘misconstruing the truth.’
Chastanet then took sharp aim at the Speaker of the House, under whose jurisdiction the operations of parliament rest, for his handling of a matter at the event involving UWP Senator Elisha Norbert. Chastanet likened the speaker’s approach to that of a plantation owner. “I would suggest to you that it is not difficult to imagine that that is exactly how a plantation owner spoke to an indentured worker.” Chastanet made the comments after recounting the exact words of the Speaker during the incident. The Leader of the Opposition insisted that the essence of Adult Suffrage spoke directly against that type of treatment. “If there is one thing that the journey from Adult Suffrage ought to have taught all of us is tolerance and mutual respect. To suggest that he had no right to stand on a point of order, we now know, in hindsight, that is not true.” Chastanet contends that the Speaker should have listened to the point of order and then make his decision.
The Leader of the Opposition also contends that what should have been a celebration of much significance was all about the ruling party. “Without any fear of contradiction, I know that that was a façade and simply a propaganda to attempt to celebrate the Labour Party and not even that they can get right.”
In his statement at the press conference, Chastanet spoke of the history of events leading up to Adult Suffrage.