“We are all stupid people” – Clarke

City Hall war of words

…“I take umbrage with such a statement” – Ferreira

Just two weeks after a motion was passed by the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) to have Councillors disciplined for misbehaviour, former People’s National Congress (PNC) General Secretary, Councillor Oscar Clarke blatantly disregarded that when he referred to all Councillors as “stupid”.
He made the comment during an attack on Councillor Malcolm Ferreira after objections were raised about the contents of the amended by-laws of the parking meter contract. Ferreira, who served as Chairman for the first negotiating committee, complained about time allotted prior to the discussion of the amendments, noting that he was unsure of the contents of the amended contract.
“He said that he had no idea what is in the document; that, for me, suggest that we are all stupid people. Because if someone here can be involved in the process at the level of the chairmanship of the committee, and then say he does not know what is in this document,” Clarke argued.
He further stated that Ferreira would have had the opportunity to peruse the document several times before and questioned the basis on which he was asking for an extension. Clarke said that there were some Councillors just asking for an extension because they want to mobilise the press and their friends to come and protest outside City Hall again.
“If you want some more time and ask for that. Don’t come and say you don’t know what in it, because what you’re doing is really you not helping yourself. You must know what’s in it. I am saying that you can’t say you don’t know because you had expansive discussions on this document,” Clark said. During Clarke’s rant, Ferreira maintained his cool, but later unleashed when he was given a chance to respond.
“Councillor Clarke, you’re one of the Councillors I learned a lot from and stupid is not a word I would associate you with or attribute to anybody sitting around this table so I take umbrage with such a statement. I don’t come here and disrespect nobody and nobody ain’t gon disrespect me and I tek it, you understand? So please, sir, stupid is not a word I’ll ever put you near or anybody around this table,” Ferreira countered.
Meanwhile, Mayor Patricia Chase Green seemed to take issue with Ferreira’s response to her PNC comrade, which resulted in her chiding him to, which he responded “it’s a problem when Malcolm says it”. However, she had nothing to say to Clarke.