‘We didn’t vote for him’: Archbishop Barbara Gray-Burke slams Young’s appointment as PM

Trinidad and Tobago: Archbishop Barbara Gray-Burke stated that she is prepared to oppose Stuart Young's appointment to the Privy Council, should the need arise, following his unexpected transition from Energy Minister to Prime Minister.  

She called the move ‘unconstitutional’ and said that “We are not in a communist nation.” Barbara urged both Keith Rowley and Stuart Young to leave the country as she commented on the selection of Young by former Prime Minister Rowley.  

She said, “You step down and you put a man we did not vote for. We didn’t vote for him so he too, could go.” Archbishop added that she will be fighting against this with every inch of blood in her veins and said that it is ‘unfair’.  

According to the information, Young came in for a heavy tongue lashing from the Baptist leader as he suggested that the word Shouter should be removed from the holiday. Barbara said that she said that showed his lack of knowledge of Baptist culture and the historical as well as religious struggles which they faced through the years.  

She explained that the name of the holiday held much sentimental value. It is reported that in an address at the Diplomatic Centre on March 22 during a celebration of Liberation Day, Stuart Young urged the Spiritual Baptist community to consider whether this word Shouter was an accurate description of their faith.  

Prime Minister Young further said that Shouter Baptist was a colonial term which had been cast upon the ones who are believers of the faith. While declaring her political loyalties, Barbara stated that the Bible said ungratefulness was worth than witchcraft.  

She also recalled the time when Bishop Elton George Griffith begged the former Prime Minister Dr Eric Williams for a holiday which the followers of the faith were denied for 25 years before the late Basdeo Panday agreed to honour their request. She also said that for this they would remain eternally grateful.  

Notably, Stuart Young was recently appointed as the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago on March 17 as Dr Keith Rowley resigned from his position four months before the end of his term.