The views expressed herein are solely those of the writer.
By Jemalie John.
This has been a long and hard fought campaign. However, there are many things that were very unusual about the lead up to the 2025 general election. Although I am an ardent supporter of the New Democratic Party, I acknowledge the Unity Labour Party to have a number of intellectual heavy weights on their side. Unfortunately, their intellect was not brought to bear in this campaign. Instead of the usual intellectual rigor and substance, theirs was a campaign of unprecedented fear mongering and anti democratic voter suppression tactics. In his final rally, the only thing left for Dr. Gonsalves to do was go down on his knees to beg. This is in stalk contrast to what he said very recently that it was impossible for him to lose the election.
Here are the top contradictions in this my closing piece: the blind leading the blind.
The threat of election petitions.
Following the 2015 election, Dr. Gonsalves ridiculed the NDP for filing election petitions. He declared that elections are won on the day – not in court. I find it therefore very interesting that the ULP is now threatening election petitions in their quest to hold onto the reigns of power. So much for being a democrat who believes in the will of the people. If the people want Carlos Williams and Luke Browne to be their representative – they will vote for them. However, if they don’t, these men should not be imposed on us in a win at all cost strategy by the ULP.
Moreover, Dr. Gonsalves has repeatedly referred to Dr. Friday as a Canadian who happens to live in Bequia; despite the known fact that his ancestors came to Saint Vincent as indentured servants from the Portuguese island of Madeira. Neither his former or current wife are Vincentians by birth and though he speaks very derogatorily of dual citizenship – multiple members of his immediate family have dual citizenship and multiple passports. Yet, he oversaw the distribution of placards with the signage – “I only need my one passport” to regular Vincentians who are not seeking political office. I wish to remind Dr. Gonsalves of his own words – elections are won on the day. Selling Dr. Friday and Fitzgerald Bramble as foreigners is a very hard sell when they were both born and raised in Saint Vincent and are of Vincentian parentage. Though I am not sure he would want to live under a Trinidadian UNC government, Dr. Gonsalves has more options of places to live should he wish to leave St. Vincent. What is clear to me is that Dr. Friday left Canada voluntarily and has endured twenty-five years of the political wilderness by choice. I am settled in my mind as to where his allegiance lies.
On the sale of passports
Dr. Gonsalves and the entire ULP present themselves as people who are morally and philosophically opposed to the sale of passports. However, he publicly announced his intention to travel to Saint Lucia to campaign alongside Philip Pierre in their upcoming elections. I cannot understand how Dr. Gonsalves is publicly supporting the very same policies in other Caribbean territories that he vigorously opposes at home. The same goes for Roosevelt Skerrit who traveled to Saint Vincent to endorse Dr. Gonsalves ahead of our election. Here are direct quotes from the Dominica International Airport Development Company’s website:
How is the Dominica International Airport project financed?
The project is financed through Dominica’s Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program in partnership with Montreal Management Consultants Development Ltd (MMC), the airport’s developer. MMC, not the government, is responsible for raising funds and managing contracts, ensuring no direct financial burden on Dominica’s treasury. This approach allows current and future generations to benefit from the project without the weight of national debt.
Who is leading the airport development?
Dominica’s government has partnered with Montreal Management Consultants Development Ltd (MMC), an experienced developer, to bring the project to life. MMC is managing the financing and construction in collaboration with international contractors like China Railway No. 5 (CR5). The project team is committed to creating a high-quality airport that meets global standards.
Can any intellectual within the Unity Labour Party explain the advice of Roosevelt Skerrit that the NDP is not fit to govern Saint Vincent while he is currently governing Dominica on precisely the same policies the NDP propose? This is a crucial question to answer especially in circumstances where the debt owed to Taiwan by Saint Vincent for capital projects is in excess of eight hundred million dollars when Dominica is building a world class airport without the weight of national debt that falls on the shoulders of Dominican taxpayers.
Moreover, how do these spineless men endorse Dr. Gonsalves when Dr. Gonsalves has spent most of this year publicly lobbying for citizens from their countries to lose their visa free access to the Schengen zone and put their access to the United States in jeopardy? How are they more loyal to Dr. Gonsalves than their own people?
Have we carefully considered that even if the argument against Citizenship by Investment is taken at its highest – all capital projects financed by CBI programs will continue to generate income for generations to come? That is to say, even if Dominica loses its CBI program – the Dominica International Airport will not disappear into thin air if the program comes to an end. Are we prepared to repay the mounting debt of the ULP while battling the lowest wages in the region and a cost of living crisis exacerbated by mounting external factors?
I submit to you that Dr. Gonsalves’ objection is not rooted in principle. If it was, he would be philosophically opposed to promoting these policies in other territories and not only in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Further, in his public criticisms, Dr. Gonsalves has also failed to:
Address what implication, if any, the regulatory commission of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank would have on CBI programs regionally and its potential to allay concerns by our international partners;
highlight the existence of CBI programs in countries with whom we share close diplomatic relations and failed to publicly acknowledge the introduction of a new CBI program by the United States under the current U.S Administration
publicly state what measures his government has put in place to address free movement of CBI passport holders under the Treaty of Basseterre as operationalized in the 53rd Meeting of the OECS Authority in May 2011, held in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
On sale of lands
The NDP will sell out all the lands is the cry of the ULP. How many Vincentians know that you do not need to be a citizen of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to own land in Saint Vincent? The Aliens (Land-Holding Regulation) Act has long provided the legislative framework for foreigners to acquire land in Saint Vincent without the need to first acquire citizenship. In this last term, during COVID, Dr. Gonsalves said on more than one occasion that if the economic situation in Saint Vincent continues, the government may soon be unable to pay salaries and pensions. He went on to say that granting alien landholding licenses to foreigners who wished to acquire land in Mustique contributed significantly to keeping the country afloat and salaries paid. How ironic that the sale of lands to foreigners enabled the government to continue paying salaries in 2021 but they run a campaign in which they mislead the public into believing that they are philosophically opposed to selling out our lands to foreigners. The truth is, lands in Saint Vincent are currently being sold to foreigners without a need for citizenship or a Vincentian passport.
Beyond that, while he complains of unfavorable leases entered into under the previous NDP administration, he has outright sold a lot of prime land to foreign investors right here on mainland St. Vincent. Of course, the issue here is that Vincentians are so burdened with surviving month to month that they can scarcely afford to pay attention. NDP will not “sell us out”. Lands are already on sale and there is little oversight in the framework currently in place to grant citizenship.
Tevin Andrews endorsement of Chevonne Stewart
In the lead up to this election, Tevin Andrews traveled to Saint Vincent from Grenada to help in Stewart’s campaign in the South Grenadines. He is the Grenadian politician from the National Democratic Congress (NDC), serving in the cabinet of Grenada as Minister for Carriacou and Petite Martinique.
Andrews leveled very harsh criticisms of Terrance Ollivierre during his campaign, lamenting the inadequate representation offered by the opposition MP. However, the Dickon Mitchell-led Congress administration introduced a Contingent Constituency Allowance that empowers opposition MPs, who are elected representatives, to impact their constituencies in tangible ways. It would be good for Mr. Tevin Andrews to advocate for a similar initiative in Saint Vincent instead of blaming opposition MPs for government neglect. Dr. Gonsalves has opposed the Constituency Development Fund for very spurious reasons.
The latest news I saw coming out of Carriacou is news of night landings being possible at Carriacou’s Lauriston Airport. This is in stalk contrast to the fact that there are four airports in the Grenadines and none of them are able to facilitate night landings – a reality that would be a boost to our tourism product. Even the jetport in Canouan remains closed for night flights despite the fact that its upgrade which included the extension of the runway, new air-field lighting, expansion of the terminal building and the control towers, was a joint venture between the government, which contributed EC$41 million (US$15 million) and Antonio Saladino, whose company contributed $3.5 million in cash and other services to which significant cost can be attributed – according to a Searchlight publication of May 16, 2008. The Canouan jetport is currently in need of rehabilitation that will cost an estimated US$40 million dollars.
The airport in Bequia has similarly deteriorated and I was extremely disappointed to read a February 13, 2024 iwitness news publication that revealed that a broken fire truck shut down the airport for days with a hotelier estimating up to $25,000USD in losses as a result of the closure. I was disappointed but not surprised. Terral Mapp, an economist working under the current ULP administration publicly stated that the goal of a politician is to maximize votes, and politics is at the root of their economic policy. It should therefore be no surprise that all of the ULP’s tourism investments have been on the mainland while the Grenadine islands continue to suffer from extreme neglect. It would be good for Tevin to tell the Vincentian public how much money Grenada has made through its CBI program since the NDC came to government in 2022.
Ask any Vincentian to list the top ten things to do in Saint Vincent and see if visiting the Grenadines is not within the top three. It is precisely why Sandals offers exclusions to the Grenadines despite being located on the mainland. The reality is that our immediate competitors all have waterfalls, beaches, rivers, rainforests, and mountains. However, they do not have Grenadine islands. This is what sets us apart as a tourist destination. It is why you see advertisements dubbed “St. Lucia and the Grenadines”, “Barbados and the Grenadines” and “Grenada and the Grenadines” with all three islands offering direct flights to the Grenadine islands. Yet, while our competitors capitalize on our islands to their benefit, the Ralph Gonsalves led administration has neglected the Grenadine islands over petty politics instead of harvesting a uniqueness that could truly set us apart as the Caribbean tourists are looking for. Tevin Andrews is yet another regional politician who adopts one policy at home but advocates something different in Saint Vincent.
There is so much more that I can say but brevity demands that I stop writing here.
Believe Ralph Gonsalves and the ULP if you want, but it could not be clearer that their 2025 campaign is the most classic case of the blind leading the blind.
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