PHILIPSBURG – In a press release, Leader of the Democratic Party (DP) MP Sarah Wescot-William expressed her concern about racial antics in Parliament.
“Call it whatever you want, but I cringe every time I hear Members of Parliament (MPs), who think it’s the popular thing to do, in Parliament express the kind of exclusionary language we are hearing from these MPs more and more,” she stated.
“Exclusionary language being the language of ‘they against we,’ while these MPs never clearly define who are the we and who are the they. In fact anytime they try this, these members of Parliament wiggle themselves more and more into the proverbial quicksand.
“Some MPs have become even more daring and are placing their categorization not only in ethnic terms, but now in racial terms. To do this in a community whose ancestry, of which some of the same MPs boast, consists of every color and hue in the books, is not only false, it is outright dangerous.
“Dangerous, because some of the very same Members of Parliament, then openly wonder how members of our society can be so callous in their references to fellow St. Martiners and fellow citizens. But who do the MPs think is setting the tone?
“We either respect our constitution or we don’t and if in the highest elected office we don’t respect our constitution, then ‘crappo smoke yuh pipe.’
“The respective political leaders, I guess will hide behind the freedom of the individual to express his/her opinion, but that is unacceptable. Because of the effect these rants have on our community, political leaders must come out and condemn the unfounded racial rambling and ethnic rhetoric of their party’s representatives, unless it is condoned by the very same leaders.
“I furthermore cringe, because we don’t seem to take heed of how ‘innocent’ rambling of leaders in different parts of the world, have caused communities or groups to alter each other with fatal consequences.
“We must speak out against or be considered silent supporters of this dangerous rhetoric,” she concluded.
