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Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves chairs a disaster response meeting in Kingstown on Dec. 28. (IWN photo)
Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves chairs a disaster response meeting in Kingstown on Dec. 28. (IWN photo)
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St. Vincent and the Grenadines is at war with nature, and, when war breaks out, soldiers do not have to wait for invitation to join in, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves says.

(Read also: Nature at war with humans, PM Gonsalves says)

“And we are still in this war, and I just want to say to everyone at the beginning, when a war commences, soldiers don’t wait for an invitation to join the war; soldier report for duty. And, at that time, there is only one commander-in-chief. … In relation to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the chief executive is that commander in chief, and that is the prime minister,” Gonsalves said.

He was speaking at a press conference on Monday and responded to a statement by Opposition Leader Arnhim Eustace, that the Opposition was not invited to a disaster response meeting on Dec. 28.

“We got 49 per cent of the vote in the last election. We represent over 30,000 people who voted for us in the last election here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. And to have a planning meeting to look at a disaster situation in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and to exclude us from that sort of deliberation, I find quite unacceptable,” Eustace told I-Witness News on Dec. 30 after his New Democratic Party held its own planning meetings.

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(Read also: Opposition says its omission from national disaster response meeting ‘unacceptable’)

But Gonsalves said on Monday that other governments “reported for duty out of solidarity”.

The meeting also involved local and regional disaster responders, representatives of local and regional financial institutions, local contractors and representatives of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago.

Gonsalves said that among the persons reporting for duty were Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad Bissessar who asked what she can do, and her Kittiian counterpart, Denzel Douglas, whose government gave EC$1 million.

Gonsalves also mentioned a British national who sent EC$1 million, and Allan Duncan, a British minister on holidays in Mustique, who toured some of the affected areas in St. Vincent.

The opposition NDP also toured affected areas, and distributed bottled water.

(Read also: NDP tours and delivers water to North Windward communities)

The NDP met on Dec. 30 to discuss disaster relief. (IWN photo)
The NDP met on Dec. 30 to discuss disaster relief. (IWN photo)

“Vanities must not hold us back. In this battle, we report for duty. And that is what I tell everybody still today in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. NEMO is there; come and volunteer. What we don’t want to have in this period where we are going to have this country arise, different and better, the last thing we want is petty bickering, people who don’t even pack a food hamper, persons who don’t organise a tin or corned beef or a tin of sardine, but have more to say than everybody else.

“It is a free and democratic country, we can say all we want to say but you are judge by what you are doing in this period, not what you are saying. … and you have to be decisive,” Gonsalves said.

“I repeat, all those who want to be involved, report for duty at the respective location, because that is what honourable soldiers do, and let us get on with the rebuilding of this country.”

12 replies on “As ‘war’ against nature rages, every ‘soldier’ must report for duty — PM”

  1. It is hard to believe that any living human being can be so foolish as to think that he can wage war against God Almighty and win. He is an abomination and is inviting more disaster on our country and people. I would advise everyone to keep a far physical distance from this man because he has called out the great weapon to do great damage to himself. You don’t want to be a soldier in his army.

  2. Darrien Ollivierre says:

    Really? First, calling this s war against nature is really a poor choice of analogy. Nature usually wins any wars against her.

    Secondly, regardless of one’s party affiliation, one should realize that if a planning meeting is held following a national disaster and outside parties are invited to that meeting but the Opposition is not, there is clearly an issue. Opposition parties form part of the political process of a nation. At one time or other, opposition parties become the ruling party and vice versa. This means that in times of crisis, all should be involved in an official capacity. They all have something they can bring to the table. How can one look at external personnel and external government reps being present at such a meeting and not recognize a problem with the Opposition being excluded.

  3. Ann Marie John says:

    Romans 29: 2 “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn”

    Thats the word of God, we can surely understand it clearly, in 2000 we were promised that our country will become ungovernable if their was no change in the political atmosphere, we saw road blocks, among another things, from since that St. Vincent has not been speared from disaster. it has been one destruction after the other. Vincentians let go back to Romans 29:2 and give it some serious thought.

  4. A pity poetry literacy is poor in SVG. Any one with a good overstanding will know what the PM means. The Bible says that the poor will always be with us, yet it is standard to hear people say “War against poverty”

  5. Are you guys serious. Do you really think the man is raging a war against God. The persons were not invited by anyone they invited themselves to the meeting because they see it as a National Issue and not their own interest at heart. I am for no party but your reasoning are way out of sack. Speak about what you all are doing or have done to help the country rebuild and stop being dark thinkers. Who are blind in one eye and unable to see out of the other.

  6. It’s sad to see the media giving Ralph a pulpit to spout his crap. Some of those baby diaper should be use to stem the shit out of his mouth. One commander in chief! Give me a break! This guy is showing his real dictatorial stripes. Can you think where we’d be now, if he had won the referendum?
    This guy should not be allowed to drag the country further down in the gutters. He has divided the country and the commander in chief will soon start a war – ULP against the rest of the SVG society.

  7. How can a semi inteligent man be so stupid.

    Perhaps its time to put the hammer and sickle motif on our official letter heads.

    You have seen all that red he and his followers like to wear, well that makes him the commander in chief of the Red Army.

  8. In the early 90’s Grantly Constance aka Ipa had a calypso which say you gotta put yo country before yo party. it amaze me that in today’s day and age vincentians still haven’t grasp this concept. Now lets put politricks aside, lets say you are involve in a family fude. a member of the family dies and all the other relatives and friends were invited to the funeral except yopu. How will you feel. Now me grand mother use to say lets give jack he jacket and gee rover him bone. RALPH you were wrong to invite everyone else to this meeting except the opposition. infact let me tell you how I see it. you are petty, childish although I don’t think I should call you childish because it’s a embrassment to children yo spiteful and you are an ebrassment to yourself,your family and vincentians. Now we are dealing with a national disaster the country don’t need a commander and chief it needs a spiritual leader, one who can help the country heal and instead of doing that yo want to dived and rule. this ain’t the time for that.stop trying to score political points an help move the country up and out of the mess its in. this is the time to put party colors aside and unite the place you are the Prime Minister of SVG not of the ULP the opposition was voted there by poor people to represent them to be there voice and this is the way you treat them same on you. yo come across like someone who’s arrogant and love to talk very much but dont make any sense at all and such a person is not fit for leadership. now let me tell you what a true leader will do, he will admit he was wrong, he will apologize and start working towards moving the country forward. Are you big enough to do that? surprise me show me that you are different’ and if you guys think I’m a Ralph basher I was one of the persons who block the road in 2000. I stood by his side @ Arnos Vale across from CK Graves when the Police tried to arest him when he start saying the our father prayer while working under a NDP Goverment on a day when I should of been @ work. I woke up the whole neighborhood in Campden Park when Dr Slater defeated Jerry Scott should I tell you how mad my family was with me? At this point our Nation needs healing lets do this together.

  9. Isnt it time for this family to get out of saint Vincent. Lets find a way of sending them all to Cuba, they could become a family of taxi drivers. A driver is a driver is a driver, right?

    Everyone of them must go, mother in law, children ‘Wun-Phatt-Pratt’ the woman of ‘Wun Phatt-Pratt’, Wun- Phatt-Twatt’.

    Take the whole lot of them and include the Francis boy, the unelected unelectable bag carrier ‘Banc-Wunt-Chang’.

  10. VINCY BERMY, you are really an ignorant twerp. I actually believe you really don’t know. God help your family and friends to get free of your stupidity.

    No one gets into a Gonsalves meeting without an invite, he would have at least a dozen plain clothes armed to the hilt secret service officers, checking invitations and frisking parts previously untouched by man.

    Every meeting he has is either packed with the chosen few, or school children.

    Get real man, you obviously do not live in SVG.

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