Owen Arthur chided over Mara Thompson comments

The Prime Ministers St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have chided Barbados Opposition Leader, Owen Arthur, for his comments attacking the candidature of Mara Thompson in the January 20 St. John by-election.



Mrs. Thompson is the widow of the late Prime Minister, David Thompson and is a St Lucian-born Barbadian citizen.



Mr. Arthur is reported to have said Mrs. Thompson should not be allowed to run for political office as no Barbadian woman who is a wife of a St Lucian politician could run for office in St Lucia.



However, St. Lucia’s Prime Minister, Stephenson King has expressed surprise at Mr. Arthur’s comments. He says Mr. Arthur’s remarks are unfortunate.



And, St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister, Ralph Gonsalves says Mr. Arthur’s comments should have been more careful.



He says Mrs. Thompson’s nomination to contest the election was not a phenomenon.



He notes that Premier Paul Southwell of St Kitts was born in Dominica; former

Minister of Education and Attorney General Fitzroy Bryant of St Kitts was Antiguan; and that former Prime Minister Edward Seaga of Jamaica was born in the United States.