There may be a war brewing inside the St Vincent Opposition party between its former leader Arnhim Eustace and the founder Sir James Mitchell.
Since the ascension of Dr Godwin Friday as leader of the party, Sir James has been more vocal about the party and its policies.
Sir James has publicly said that he made a grave mistake in having made Eustace leader of the party, Eustace has lost four general elections during his tenure.
Early this week Eustace took to radio and in a stinging rebuke to Mitchell, and told the radio audience its kind of personal to him.
Eustace said some two weeks ago in the News Newspaper, a letter was written by Sir James which had to do with he Eustace. Eustace said he has written a reply to Sir James.
Eustace read the letter live on the radio on Tuesday 18th September 2018. Below is the contents of the letter.
Dear Sir James
I have read an article in the News Newspaper which reported comments made by you in a program on Boom FM, to the effect that I Arnhim Eustace was your greatest error, an error to which you apologise to the people of St Vincent and the Grenadines.
I am unsurprised quite frankly, that you would be venomous in your comments about me.
Your public praise about me as minister of finance and that was often, an economist, leader, fiscal advisor and as director of finance you said was responsible for some of the most progressive gains while you were Prime Minister.
As Prime Minister myself your attitude change drastically from the moment I reduced your salary, when I became PM.
I was of the view that the country could not afford neither was it fair to pay two Prime Minister’s Salary, I will never regret that decision.
I am however surprised and encouraged that you have decided to take responsibility for the error you have described by apologizing to the people of this nation.
The unmistakable scope of that apology, I hope, your acknowledgement that you were forced to hand over leadership, by your depleted popularity, public disaffection with you, and the consequent rise of the worst PM and administration that this country has ever seen, Ralph Gonsalves and ULP.
I inherited from you just a few months before elections were agreed to under the Grand Beach Accord.
The party was a skeletal party, our party, that 12-3 lost was a referendum on your leadership and for the years I led it, I batted the Gonsalves administration, we moved from 12-3 to 7-8, then election petitions which may well prove to have been won by the NDP.
You have spent those years undermining the NDP, the party youco-foundedd, publicly insulting an tearing down many of the NDP candidates and me, cozying up and praising Gonsalves, but that is apparently the past.
You have returned to the NDP, should I say welcome back.
Rest assured, Sir James, my period as immediate past president of the NDP will be spent very differently from yours.
Here are four things that I have done and will do differently.
- I resigned asthe leader early enough to give my successor years rather than mere months to stamp his leadership and prepare for elections.
- I will never ever be so presumptuous to, self-serving and destructive, as to present my opinion on any NDP policy as that of the party.
Who are you to state NDP position on China, that is the province of the leader Dr Friday, not the past, past president.
- I will always endeavor to encourage Dr Friday my successor a man of integrity.
- I will never pass off a glowing homage to my greatness as a funeral tribute to any stalwart of the party and great nation builder.
Going forward Sir James, I ask that you dwell on the ways you can interrogate, without disparaging, I fear that despite your overall good record of governance, your post service contribution will be remembered for its toxicity and self-praise.
I AM Arnhim Eustace
