Opposition Leader Ralph Thorne is defending his firing of former Senator Tricia Watson and he is questioning why Barbadians have not been looking into several firings from the Mia Mottley administration.
While speaking at the Democratic Labour Party’s George Street Auditorium Headquarters on Friday August 30, 2024, Mr Thorne called the names of several ministers and senators who were removed, some without a public trace.
“Lucille Moore was fired. Cynthia Ford was fired. Marsha Cattle was fired. The people who call themselves feminists, and I respect feminism, I do respect feminism because I know that feminism is the newest frontier in the fight for people’s rights…This government fired three young women. Marsha Cattle, Cynthia Ford, and Lucille Moore from ministries,” he said to a room filled with members of the media present.
While also using Senator John King as an example he said that he believes Prime Minister Mottley owes the former musician an apology.
“They uprooted John King…. But the public wants the truth and I’m going to tell the truth here this morning that John King was unfairly treated in his forced departure from the House of Assembly and he was compensated with a seat in the Senate. John, they were unfair to you. And I did not hear any storm on social media. Perhaps they feel John is a nobody.
Perhaps they feel so. But John was uprooted unfairly by the Prime Minister of this country. Throne added.
The Opposition Leader also made mention of Senator Lorenzo Harewood, Chad Blackman and Sonia Browne.
The former BLP Minister and Representative for Christ Church East also spoke about Sir Richard Cheltanham who was asked to demit office.
“Yes. Sir Richard Cheltenham was asked to demit office…Sir Richard Cheltenham departed from the Senate. Not a word.”
Thorne also made mention of former Minister Edmund Hinkson.
“Edmund Hinkson was fired as a minister. Does anyone from the press know why he was fired? Except that he came to my office a few weeks after, engaged in a tirade. He can deny this, but he came into my office, my law office on Painful Street.”
“I don’t know why he came there. And I asked somebody, why is he here? He’s going on. 10 minutes, 20 minutes, half hour, and he’s still talking.
And he’s still complaining. And when he’s on the stairs on the way back down, he says, up to now she ain’t tell me why she fired me yet. Let Edmund Hinkson deny that.”
While stating that his leadership is not about tyranny, Thorne made mention of other sudden firing like those of George Payne and Special Envoy in the office of reparations and economic enfranchisement Trevor Prescod.
“Anybody ask why Trevor Prescott was fired? The media carried front page stories for two or three days about his dismissal. Not a word.
But we are held to a higher standard. We are supposed to come here this morning and assassinate the character of Miss Watson. We are not going to do it.
The lady is entitled to a dignified departure from the Senate. And she has departed from the Senate, and we insist it must be dignified.”
