The Cabinet of Ministers has approved 14 five-year National Scholarships, five fully-funded three-year scholarships and 12 bursaries, whose recipients will have the EC$20,000 annual economic cost at the University of the West Indies paid by the government in addition to getting EC$20,000 annually.
Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves made the announcement in Layou on the weekend, saying:
“On Wednesday alone, it was the business of us to help approximately 100 young Vincentians, most of them from the poor and working people to advance themselves forward.”
Gonsalves said that he was sent last week the list of the persons in the recent Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) who had passed two subjects and communication studies, some 198 students.
There were also 547 secondary school leavers who this year passed five subjects, including English language and mathematics and the government approved that EC$500 be paid to each of them by month-end or early next month for their accomplishment.
“That is almost 850 people, one Wednesday and Thursday, young people that we have taken care of,” Gonsalves said at a rally to celebrate his Unity Labour Party’s 21st anniversary.
He said he has also told Director of the Community College, Nigel Scott, that his government will also give the EC$500 reward to Community College graduates “who did well in the B+ level and above”.
“I said send me the names for those and I will find money too to give them the $500,” said Gonsalves, who is also Minister of Finance.
“That’s a number which will go past 1,000. One thousand young people, Rejoice, that is a birthday present from the Unity Labour Party,” he said.
He further told the rally that he wants the elderly to rejoice as he has announced the government will increase the Public Assistance by 25 dollars a month, taking those who are 65 and older to EC$250 a month while those who are under 65 will get EC$225.
Cabinet last week also approved the enrolment of 65 persons in the School of Nursing, each of whom will receive a stipend of EC$1,000 per month.
If these gifts are presents from the Unity Labour Party, let the ULP pay them. Having made the statement at some time in the future Gonsalves and the ULP must be made to pay up.
Purchase of votes again. They are going cheap. $500.00 is not enough. We need an auction’ My bid is $10,000.00. Any takers?
These are no gifts from the ULP, unless the PM can prove that the funding comes from donations to the Party.
Rather,these are monies that come from the following sources: local taxation (via import duties, income tax, VAT, stamp duties, etc.); loans from local and international sources; and grants from international bodies.
This government has deliberately obscured and perverted the role of the ULP and the function of government to such an extent that it is nearly impossible to see where the one ends and the other begins.
I agree with both of you. If the ULP is paying, then it should come directly from the ULP coffers. But then again, it seems as if the ULP coffers and the SVG Treasury are one and the same. They certainly behave in that manner. They are referencing the party as one and the same as the government. No separation. I don’t know why/how they have been getting away with it for so long. But as they say, all good (and bad) things must and will come to an end. Hope not too much longer. But Vincentians, get out and vote, for HOPE is not a plan, and if you FAIL to PLAN, then you PLAN to Fail. So VOTE!!
This move by the ulp regime reeks of the stink of desperation. They would drain the treasury of its last dollar and sink the country into out of control debt just to win this election. Dazzle them with glass jetways and baffle them with bullshit bribes. This regime has lost its last shred of self respect. Hopefully our nation’s students will keep theirs intact.
I would be interested in seeing some of those young people, future leaders of SVG, refuse to accept the money; or if they do, publicly donate it to charity.