East Kingstown MP Dwight Fitzgerald Bramble has fired back at Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves for what he has described as a “disrespectful” reference to his mother.
Bramble’s blistering response came two nights after Gonsalves lashed out at him, dragging his mother into the scenario, during a Unity Labour Party (ULP) rally at Calliaqua.
Gonsalves said that at age 64 Bramble never as much as “knock up a plywood” house for himself and was still living at his mother’s home which she built on her salary working as an office attendant.
“He come back. He ain’t married. He ain’t got no responsibility… When man don’t got no ambition, how they gonna represent you?” Gonsalves said.
At a joint East/West St George meeting at Mama’s Corner at Fairbain Tuesday night, Bramble said he was not going down into the gutters with anyone and “the only reason” he was responding to Gonsalves’ comments was because “the Prime Minister in his very disrespectful, low-life approach, decided to bring my mother into this.”
“I have a big problem with that, a huge problem with that,” the East Kingstown MP said.
Bramble gave a brief background of his mother and his siblings. He explained that his mother, Mona Bramble, hailed from Bottom Town, a small village in capital Kingstown, and she gave birth to five children
“As a single mother. Who only completed primary school. She was not able to go to secondary school, not because she wasn’t bright enough, but because of socio-economic conditions in Bottom Town at the time. “And I can tell you, had it not been for the help and support and love of many people, including the family in Bequia who raised me, mommy would not have been able to raise us,” Bramble said.
Bramble said all five of his mother’s children made something of themselves and they are “very proud and honored” to be involved in their mother’s life as she approaches her 83rd birthday on the 20th of November. He said he and younger brother, Andrew, live at home at McKie’s Hill and they take care of her on a daily basis with the assistance of a caretaker called Denise.
“We are honored and privileged and proud to be able to take care of our mother. And I can guarantee you, I will continue to take care of my mother who’s living in my house at McKie’s Hill until God decides that one of us has to go from each other.
“And I can tell you all this, when the New Democratic Party wins and forms government, and Fitz Bramble is a minister of government, I will continue to take care of my mother,” Bramble said, adding that “one thing I hope and pray and wish for Ralph Gonsalves Is that if he lives long enough to get to the age of my mother that his children would be willing to take care of him.”
“Everybody knows me as mister nice guy. But I’m telling you Ralph, you son of a… I’m not going to go down that road. But I’m going to say this very simply to Ralph. Say what you want to say about me. Say whatever you want to say about me. It’s not going to make any difference anyway. Because the more you talk about me, the more licks Luke Brown is going to get.
“For the last time, Ralph, leave mommy out of your dirtiness. Leave my mother out of your dirtiness. Say what you want to say about me, I can handle myself.
“But if you continue bringing my mother in this campaign, you’re going to see a completely different Fitz Bamble. You better believe that. I am not afraid of you, and I’m not afraid of any one of you. Don’t mess with my mother, anybody else,” Bramble warned.
The East Kingstown MP, who was elected in 2020, said the reason Gonsalves and the ULP are trying to adopt the approach of distraction is because,” as we say, they done” smell the rat” and they realize that whenever the bell is rung and the elections are called and the results come in, candidates Kaschaka Cupid will be in West St George win column and Lavern Velox will be in the East St. George win column
“That is what Ralph is afraid of, you know. He is afraid to ring the bell because he is trying to prolong the political life of his son Camillo Gonsalves) because his licks shore as the sun shines from sister Velox,” Bramble said.
