KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent – Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves said Monday that he has “impeccable” intelligence that a financier of the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP), interested in reinstating an economic citizenship programme here, will fund a no-confidence motion against his 14-month old Unity Labour Party (ULP) administration.
“Two weeks ago, the NDP leadership went to Antigua … for a meeting with a set of financiers where this promise was again held out as the basis for them, on an on-going condition, to finance the NDP to bring down the legitimate government of this country,” he said at a press briefing.
“I want to say to the people of this country that the intelligence I have on this is impeccable,” added Gonsalves, who is also Minister of National Security.
“I am telling you and they will want to know how De Comrade knows. But you see, I’ve told them already, for years now, I have somebody at their table. The question is, who?” Gonsalves said in response to a reporter’s question about whether he was anticipating a no-confidence motion in light of the one brought against the Kamla Persad Bissessar government in Trinidad and Tobago recently.
He said some of the NDP’s financiers for the 2010 election were also at the meeting. “And again, the promise of economic citizenship was held out as the carrot for the continued support,” he said.
“There is a certain desperation because one individual of this group was even discussing the issue of monitoring conversations of the Prime Minister and others,” Gonsalves said, adding that he was leaving it “to your imagination as to how I could be monitored”.
“I, myself, do not know any legitimate way in which I could be monitored. But I could be educated. I am not making any aspersions that anyone intends to do anything which is illegal but I would like to be advised how this will be done,” he said.
The ULP government, which was returned to office in December 2010 for a third consecutive term, has a one-seat majority in the 15-member Parliament.
“The NDP promised their financiers that they will bring a motion of no-confidence in the government. They intend to file it sometime soon. Of course, you can always bring a vote of no confidence. But the question is this: is it no confidence in the government or no confidence in the leadership of [Opposition Leader] Arnhim Eustace,” Gonsalves said.
He said that the NDP has its problems and asked that he be not brought into them.
“Because if you bring me in your problems, if you force me to get involved, push me to get involved, I would, of necessity, get involved; because we are involved in a competitive political system,” said Gonsalves, whose government last week suffered the embarrassment of having “a substantial number” of its telephone lines disconnected for non-payment.
Gonsalves said the firm the NDP leadership reportedly met with in Antigua hires a company to manage elections for political parties. “We saw that experience in 2010 in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. And what is promised is economic citizenship. That is happening, too, in other places in this region where you don’t have economic citizenship.” Gonsalves said.
But Gonsalves, whose ULP repealed the economic and honorary citizenship laws here after coming to office in 2001, restated his administration’s opposition to such a policy — advocated by the NDP — and said such a programme would not be reinstated here for as long as he is Prime Minister.
“As far as this government is concerned, there is one class of citizenship; citizenship. And you can acquire that citizenship in the well established ways: by birth, by descent, through marriage or through one of the ways of naturalisation.”
Gonsalves said that his administration considers citizenship the highest office in the land and not a commodity to be part of a transaction. “This government stands and I personally stand unequivocally in opposition to the sale of our citizenship,” he said.
He said that when the OECS economic union was crafted and freedom of movement was discussed he was mindful that St. Kitts and Nevis and Dominica have economic citizenship programmes.
“And we made it plain that we would not, at our borders, accept economic citizenship from those countries as the same as the citizenship of a Kittitian or a Dominican acquired in one of the normal ways.”
He said he was fortified that Prime Minister Tillman Thomas of Grenada felt as strongly as he did about the issue.
In February 2010, as the NDP said there was “nothing strange” about economic citizenship, Gonsalves called on the nation’s youth to take a position on the issue, saying it would be a hot button topic in the election that year.
“You can get money from it but you can face a lot of [suffering]. The problem with selling your passport is that it devalues it,” Gonsalves said then.
Gonsalves as a liar, how do we know if any of what you say is true.
People we must beware of the smoke screens being put up by Gonsalves, he is desperate and dangerous
It is my opinion and obvious to me that he has some kind of mental problem in accepting what is right and what is wrong. Inside is outside and outside is inside, downside is upside and upside is downside, clean is dirty and dirty is clean, black is white and white is black, forward is backward and backward is forward, paid is unpaid and unpaid is paid, realistic is unrealistic and unrealistic is realistic, truth is untruth and untruth is truth, ALBA is crap and crap is ALBA, diplomatic is undiplomatic and undiplomatic is diplomatic. What a scrabbled and disjointed mind he must have.
As the minister of almost everything important, is he a suitable person to have such power and authority. He promised us better times he has given us worse times, he promised us wealth and has given us poverty, he promised us decency and has given indecency, he promised us intelligence and has given us idiocy, he promised us a cut in crime and has given us an increase in crime, he promised us security but has given us insecurity, he promised us a Dream Team and has given us a nightmare, he promised us a new airport without cost and has brought to the nation a huge debt, he promised us a national stadium and has given us a muddy field, promised us a cross country road and has given us zilch.
Rape and murder are becoming the urban and village norm under the governments own the campaign, own the Crime. Police officers who are convicted criminals being re-employed, bringing us disgrace and humiliation before the whole World. The abandonment of the PACE legislation to allow the police to torture those that they question, beating being uncommon in interview rooms and cells.
Remember Gonsalves loves to discredit people, loves to plant nonsense in the minds of the ignorant.
This is the man who said ” I only do Obea for the Lord”
I am sure if there was any real money to earned from economic citizenship, Gonsalves would be doing it. He is happy to take dirty blood money from Iran and support their murder, rape, execution of Christians in Iran, so why not something far lesser such as economic citizenship.
Gonsalves what a load of horse crap you bring to us, want to take our minds off the unpaid phone bills debacle?
As for bringing advisors in, you brought in and paid advisers from the British Labour Party and British House of Lords during 2001 and at other elections, so why not quit the crap and preaching of ignorance and revealing the dunce of your mind. Remember this is the twilight of your years, like everyone else of your age you are hurtling towards death. Technology is such that history will reveal you as a liar.
WAKE UP PEOPLE AND SMELL THE SULPHUR
I think it about time this blog address this issue. I’d like to know what’s involved, advantages and disadvantages. I will also like a comparison between this approach and the money that comes to SVG from Venezuela and other countries. These are issues that need to be addressed, because it can and will affect Vincentians visiting other countries, especially Canada and the US.
I hope the dialog will be kept clean and avoid name calling. If you have information on the topic, then please let us know.
correction: beatings being common in inteview rooms and cells.
Torture of the accused at police station by beatings in interview rooms and police station cells, is being reported on a more frequent basis than ever before. Such action results in the innocent admitting to something they didn’t do.
For instance the 3 police who were convicted of such behaviour, then re-employed, that means that such behaviour must unequivecly be the policy of the government to torture people by beating them with hose pipe and hands.
How many people did the 3 police officers take to court and obtain a conviction. All those convictions should now be urgently reviewed, any one of those convicted who reported that they were beaten should have their conviction overturned. Any of you solicitors who defended such people should make appeals on grounds resulting from this matter.
I blame you the solicitors, the attorneys, the judiciary, for not making objections when Gonsalves had the PACE legislation removed, it is that action that has resulted in the police administering torture with impunity.
You should of even marched to stop such devistating action of the removal of PACE.
This is all fact its not fiction.
TIME TO WAKE UP AND SMELL THE SULPHUR
PETER, you know Dr. Gonsalves is lying because you have EVIDENCE to SHARE with us on the issue he raised???
If you do, FEEL FREE to SHARE it with us.
As for the REST of the NONSENSE in your POST, it is not worthy of ADDRESSING.
By the way, do you know about the genesis of what is called OBEAH?
That said; the DESPERATION of the NDP is just PITIFUL.
The people of SVG will REJECT any attempt by the NDP to CORROBORATE with FOREIGNERS to DESTABILIZE or overthrow the GOVERNMENT that was put there by the PEOPLE to GOVERN this BLESSED NATION.
The WILL OF THE PEOPLE will not be overturn by the NDP and their UNSCRUPLOUS FOREIGN INVESTORS who want to sell our BIRTHRIGHT aka Vincentian passports.
I hope this no-confidence thing is true. In fact Gonsolves should be the one sponsoring a no confidence in himself and his bag of fools call ministery of government. Hear the cases:
1. Gonsolves, as head of state, was charge for rape. No confidence
2. Gonsolves appoint a bunch of nincoompoos as PS to run he government, now he say he gee dem money to pay fo’ water, light, medicine, telephone, some people salary and spray the bananas. Not even that they are competent to do. No confidence
3. Gonsolves say he had a master plan fo’ the banana industry. Wha! dat? He mash up we banana industry. Now we can only ship 250 boxes per shipment. No confidence.
4. Gonsolves insulting we black race….. No confidence
5. Gonsolve building international airport, with no plan for its financing and maintenance… No confidence
6. Gonslove mash-up we NCB and marketing board then sell them off to St. Lucians.. He call that master stroke….. No confidence.
8. Gonsolves overseeing the worst political victimization in the history of SVG…. No confidence
9. Gonsolves changing and ammending laws to protect he and he” windbags” against procecution when faced with law breaking… no confidence
10. Gonsolve, as head of state, suing people if they watch him too hard( politically speaking of course).. No confidence
11. Four years of negative economic growth and we heading for a fifth…. No confidence.
12. Record numbers of business closing down because people cant buy basic food item because of vat… No confidence.
13. Gonsolves promoting them thieves ( PS in Agriculture) instead of discipline… No Confidence
14. Gonsolves share way $6M to school children just so. People say he think the parents woodda vote Yes in the referendum because ah dat…. No confidence
15 Then he lift up another $4M fo pay fo Yes vote campaigne.. just so…. No confidence
16. The country broke. We cant pay fo,public medicine, water, light and telephone… embarrassing man…. No confidence.
17. Gonsolves along with the Speaker of the house..allow policeman to beat -up opposition parlimentarian in the house and then he people went around bragging about that…. No confidence
18. Gonsolve education and wellness revolutions ha’ no solution… No confidence
19 Way the integrity bill he promise in 100 days of taking office… It is over 3960 day now. No legislation… No confidence.
20. Crime and theirery outta hand under ULP… No confidence
21. Gonsolves ha’ people like the Beeaches, Herman, Hans, Elson,Snaggie, The tratior burns and all the other ULP soocooyahs who ah sucking we country dry fo doing nutten,while poor people ah catch dey backside…..No Confidence
22. Gonsolve’s family and he sidekicks depositing big US$ in bank just so, outside ah regulations. We ask he fo explanation. He politically gee we he middle finger…. No confidence
23. To protect we NIS…no confidence
24. Unemployment,cost of living, taxes, water rate, light bill …UP! UP! UP! …No confidence
25. Salary..SAME! SAME! SAME!….No Confidence
26. Don’t talk ’bout the roads……No confidence
Man Ah warry write. Maybe Peter could continue this.
People there are millions of reasons for a no confidence vote against Ralph and his dimwits. I say LAY THE THING GO THROUGH. If Ralph don’t like it Lay he sue.
“PETER”..IF I WERE YOU, I WOULD NOT EVEN REPLY TO THE IDIOT “VINCYPOWA”…WHAT YOU SAID IS THE TRUTH AND “HE”..”THEY” WILL ALWAYS DENY IT..!!!!
I am too late with my request for fair dialog on Ralph’s statement. He wins the debate when you folks go off topic. Maybe Ralph really has a traitor on the NDP board.
No more confidence in the Gonsalves ULP administration, to much lies now, can you imagine turning off your television as soon as your PM appear on it?
GO, PETER GO, WORK FOR YOUR HALF-AH-SOAP AND HALF-AH-POUND AH CHICKEN BACK!!!! AH SEE ROINUJ GETTING HIS SUPPLY TOO!!!!!!
JUST ANOTHER FAILED ATTEMPT BY THE NDP!!!!! THEY WILL ‘NEVER’ WIN A NO-CONFIDENCE MOTION AGAINST THE COMRADE!!!!
No- Nonsense you know nothing about me. If yo’ all can’t stand the heat get off the blog. BTW, wha’ wrong with half a soap and half pound ah chicken back in ah this ULP economic hell-hole? No need to get personal. Just discuss the issues nuh man!
Gonsalves is a self admitted liar, therefore anything that he says that is not unequivocally substantiated must be assumed a lie.
VERE, even Gonsalves statement about having a traitor within the NDP, should be regarded as a lie. In fact I regard most of what he wrote as a bunch of lies.
I would not be surprised if Gonsalves didn’t have secret police following people during trips abroad. I believe that is the kind of thing that he is inferring, and has inferred before.
I remember when he said he had a copy of an email [with derogatory remarks about him in it] that one of the Greaves girls had sent to Canada, he said someone gave him it. Well neither the sender or receiver gave him a copy, where does that leave us.
ROINUJ, what a list, but people must take notice of the content, it is a factual exposure of what’s going down in SVG.
VINCYPOWA, I suppose if you keep repeating all the old bollocks that you spew out, its just possible someone might start to believe you.
Fortunately the majority of the people that come to this site are well balanced intelligent people, so the same old crap that you spew out day after day is just regarded as that, crap. I am going to let you off light because you have proved yourself such a total pratt, without me adding to it. I just hate having to beat up on you all the time because your such a dunce class jerk.
I have noticed in the past that your stupid behaviour has got you suspended from sites from time to time.
I have left you alone on other sites, but I am considering coming after you, most people need some enlightenment about your nasty way of earning a few dollars, by being a Unity Liars Part collaborator, who tries to destroy any thing that is truthful but will cause damage to the ULP or Gonsalves.
Mr Hitler would of given you a medal your work is well up to his standards.
Just like the ANGRY MARCHES in KINGSTOWN and the COMEDY SHOW in the HOUSE of PARLIAMENT were EXERCISES in FUTILITY, so too will be the VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE, because the ULP is a UNITED PARTY and the MAJORITY of VINCENTIANS are UNITED BEHIND this GOVERNMENT.
DESPERATE TIMES call for DESPERATE MEASURES=MODUS OPERANDI of the INEPT NDP.
VINCY POWA! The ULP Prophet. While you are at it, please tell us when Christ will return or when the sun will turn blue. AHH! HA! HA! HA! AHH! HA! HA! HA! AHH! HA! HA! HA! OHH ME GUT!
Observer, the word IDIOT will NEVER be a WORD to DESCRIBE VINCYPOWA.
Nevertheless, I am not surprise by your comment, because that is all the NDP and their FANATICAL and DIEHARD SUPPORTERS have to OFFER this NATION, SENSELESS NEGATIVITY.
See you around BUB.
PETER, if the “people that come to this site are well balanced intelligent people,” then it means that they know you are not WELL BALANCE nor INTELLIGENT.
Moreover, they are LAUGHING at your PROPENSITY for OUTLANDISH claims against a leader that has kept this nation afloat during these harsh economic times.
They have already seen that you are a person that PRATTLES cold war rhetoric in this the 21st century. They have already seen that you lack EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE and so resort to name calling without PROVOCATION.
They have seen that you make claims that you CANNOT support. For example, this nation heading to dictatorship, and the rights and freedom of people would have been taken away, if the YES VOTE had won the referendum.
So yes, Peter, I am quite aware that “WELL BALANCED INTELLIGENT PEOPLE” know that you are just a SHIT TALKER of the HIGHEST ORDER.
See you around BUB.
Vere, you are so right! There is hardly ever any serious debate on this blog. Day in and out, commentators sing the same tunes. I can always tell who is going to say what and they never fail to disappoint. I recently began to think about not following the blog any more and just keep up with the news in the Searchlight and other more credible media outlets. Kenton’s blog does not always include the full and unbiased story and the comments are often mere rubbish!
Tell us how you know comrade, are you having them followed????
VINCYPOWA, you are such a hoot when your angry and defeated, I suppose its rare that you meet someone who is so vastly superior.
You are discovered, you have been outed, fully exposed and mentally denuded.
Your so wrong, I am provoked by people like you who are liars and supporters of the king of liars. Filling people up with such a load of crap, fully well knowing it to be untrue.
I suppose you like your master prefer the term Scientific Socialism, well I still call a spade a spade, its still old fashioned 20th century Marxist communism.
Are you actually telling me that Gonsalves who I believe has been a Marxist all his life, is no longer a Marxist?
I have studied you closely and know that you yourself are a great admirer of CL James that now very dead well known old scum bag communist, who helped bring the communist cancer to the Caribbean. A man who had a great influence on Gonsalves, Mr Rose, Rodney and Bishop, the latter two are now out of the loop due to being very dead, through their communist learnings and idiotic behaviour.
Rodney blew himself up whilst carrying a bomb in a car outside a prison where his communist compatriots were housed. And Bishop, well I won’t tell that story because Gonsalves tells us he is going to carry on his work.
You and your idiot friends would like to do away with the word Marxism, it doesn’t help your cause in seeking to appear cleaner than clean in the modern political arena.
SUIeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee come unto me little piggies.
BUBbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
ROINUJ, this I will tell you.
As LONG as Arnhim Eustace, who has been duped too many times to count by FOREIGNERS when he was MINISTER of FINANCE and during his worthless six months as PM, REMAINS the LEADER, the NDP WILL NEVER EVER GOVERN this BLESSED NATION again.
By the way, do you know the VISION, PLANS, PROGRAMS and POLICIES of the NDP to MOVE this BLESSED NATION FORWARD?
Just like the REST of the NDPITES, your RESPONSE will be more NONSENSE TALK.
SEE YOU AROUND, BUB.
I wish you guys will stop beating-up on each other and beat-up on the issue at hand. You folks are losing it totally, by trying to out-cuss each other. The entire topic is lost between these back and forth name-calling crap. You are not accomplishing anything. Meanwhile you are letting Ralph off the hook with his accusations.
People you are being out-smarted by trying to follow every statement out of Ralphs mouth. Hes doing the ALI shuffle on you to keep you off balance. You will be more effective if you stay on topic and beat it like a road-march until it sinks in. This can only work if you have facts to dispute Ralph`s statement. Try not to address issues on which you have little or no credible information.
I was hoping to see discussions on issues that can help to move SVG forward, but this wayward approach is boring same old, same old.
I’d like to point out that Canada allows foreign investors to become citizens after a number of years. If this is what the DNP is aiming for, then there is no harm to SVG. All Canadian citizens can apply for Canadian passports. If the scenario is similar to the Canadian, then Ralph is being unfair. SVG need investors lots of investors – to create jobs for the people of SVG. As a matter of fact: This approach will help Ralph to build his airport (which is an albatross around Vincentians neck).
As long as the system is not abused, then there is no problem implementing this investment corridor. It benefits Canada and it can and will benefit SVG. The plan to control this issue is based on a dollar figure and the number of years before an investor can apply for citizenship.
Vere, look how QUICKLY you BACKTRACK after the NDP admits, as Dr. GONSALVES so stated, went to Antigua to MEET with FOREIGNERS about SELLING our VINCENTIAN PASSPORTS.
U guys are TRULY a BUNCH of JOKERS.
How is it BENEFITING CANADA when the CANADIAN GOVERNMENT has STOPPED these ISLANDS who sold their PASSPORTS to UNSCRUPULOUS FOREIGNERS from TRAVELING to CANADA without a VISA?
So the NDP’s VISION for DEVELOPING SVG is SELLING our PASSPORTS to UNSCRUPULOUS FOREIGNERS. Sorry, but the MAJORITY of VINCENTIANS will NEVER SUPPORT this POLICY of the NDP.
We now know that the NDP has ABSOLUTELY no VISION of WORTH to MOVE this NATION FORWARD.
Vincy Powa…………what are u talking about? Selling your passport to foreigners to travel to canada and the whole economic citizenship is two different issues.
The latter which is implemented in Canada, USA, UK and some Caribbean islands is that a person with assets of $500 000 or more who is interested in investing in the country by way of creating say a business can become a Permanent Resident and over a period to time a citizen of that country. It works and has been working well for the countries that implemented it. The US has gone so far as to add to this by providing PR to persons who buy houses of that value as an incentive to come and live in the country and help to rebuild it’s housing market.
Canada on the other hand has made it easier for women/families of child-bearing age to migrate to the country because of a study done showing that they have an aging population…….even students have are being retained to stay in the country……all this to show that modern countries are all looking for ways to attract people who can contribute and build their economy.
Selling your passport is different and is not the same thing….why would some-one with assets in the thousands need to buy a vincy passport to migrate to canada, then live illegally in the country (or St. Vincent for that matter)?….. when there are so many easier, legal ways to migrate there?
What the PM is doing is playing on the ignorance of some vincies regarding this whole idea of economic citizenship and how it works. I suggest people do their research before jumping on a side and accepting an opinion that is not even theirs……..
Yeah ralph, this is only news when you can’t pay bills….. its called distraction from the real issues at hand. THE GOVERNMENT OF SVG IS BROKES TO THEIF AND NO AMOUNT OF DISTRACTION CAN CHANgE THAT.
Its funny that ralph is asking the NDP to tell us what they were doing in Antigua, meanwhile he went and joined St. Vincent onto alba without saying a word to us.
Go pay LIME and the people of the country on time because you come with your silly talk.