In a recent interview with Minster of Finance, Camillo Gonsalves,he sought to clear the air on the Yugee Farrel allegations that was leveled against him over two years ago .
Upon being notified that exclusive access was granted to the guest speakers at Tuesday’s cocktail styled event ANN reached out for a few questions.
One respondent replied, “no one ever asked [Minister Gonsalves] about Yuggie, wonder if he wants to clear the air before election?”
ANN was obligated to ask and MP Gonsalves graciously obliged: “It’s good of you to ask me, because very few journalists actually ask me, they went running all over the place with different responses but I’m not going to respond to that. A lot of allegations were made that were patently false on their face and it was distressing that so many people ran with them in the way that they did.
But my first obligation is to the safety and security of my family and to meeting my responsibilities as a Minister of government and a citizen of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
“I have never involved myself in comess and I have never involved myself in using social media to amplify comess. I regret that some of the things that were said about me, were said and broadcast and believed by other people.”
ANN: Do you think what was “believed” would in any way impact on your performance at the next polls?
MP Gonsalves: Well we’ll see what happens in the next election but I believe that people will judge me on the work that I have done or not done.
ANN: As opposed to the “comess?”
MP Gonsalves: I don’t know, I don’t know that comess has ever swung an election. It’s a lot of comess every election year we are over run with comess in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. A lot of scurrilous accusations, it boggles my mind but I have tried and I would continue to try to stay out of comes. I have tried and I would continue to try to engage other politicians and commentators and not try to pull down people. Particularly people who are not involved in politics, particularly people who may have challenges. I don’t feel it is my job to victimize people or attack people or destroy people’s name or anything like that. I believe that ideas must compete, facts must compete and when people evaluate facts and evaluate ideas they will come to reasoned decisions.
I believe Vincentian people are reasonable people and that they are sensible people and that that when they evaluate the issues they will come to a decision that I will respect. If that decision is to elect or to un-elect I’ll respect that decision because that’s what democracy is about and I will make my case to the people of my constituency and to the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines when the time comes but I will not – I have not and I will not – involve myself in scurrility and comess. I’ve heard it my entire life and I find it deplorable and when I got into politics I knew that I wasn’t going to get into politics to start calling names or involving myself in comes.
I will represent my constituency, I will represent the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the way that I feel is best and if people disagree with that they’ll have an opportunity to render their judgment and I’ll respect that judgment.
Regional media caught ablaze when former model Yugge Farrell was hauled before local courts “in connection with an insulting language charge which involved Karen Duncan-Gonsalves – wife of the SVG Minister of Finance Camillo Gonsalves,” Loop Caribbean News published on December 18th 2018.
Earlier that year the Jamaican Observer in its article titled ‘’Ex-model who ‘dissed’ minster’s wife sent back to mental hospital’’ reads in part “when she appeared before Magistrate Bertie Pompey, on January 5, Farrell was ordered to undergo two weeks of psychiatric evaluation at the Mental Health Centre.
“The prosecution had made the application for psychiatric evaluation after Farrell pleaded not guilty to the charge.
“Judge Pompey’s decision to grant the prosecution’s request in the absence of any supporting argument has led to widespread debate about the functioning of the judiciary in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.”
Barbados Today’s chronicled the date when the charges were ultimately dismissed by Senior Magistrate Ricky Burnet, with the observation that “the case triggered region-wide outrage at the legal and political establishment in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, especially after Farrell’s claim that she was in a long-time affair with Gonsalves’ son – finance minister Camillo Gonsalves. The younger Gonsalves has never responded publicly to the claim while his father, in a Barbados Today interview back in February urged people within the region to get all the facts before coming to conclusions on a sensitive issue.”