A woman who went to see a doctor at a state-owned clinic recorded him making critical comments of Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves.
Gonsalves made the disclosure on Thursday during a press conference in which he reported to the nation on his recent visit to Europe.
The Prime Minister said that the doctor is employed by the state, adding “and I am quite sure he is a good human being” but described his conduct as unprofessional.
He said the young woman went to see the doctor as a patient just over two weeks ago.
“And all he begins with is a bare anti-Ralph politics,” Gonsalves said, adding that the young woman used her phone to record a part of the conversation.
He read what he said was the “monologue” that the doctor had.
The Prime Minister read at Thursday’s press conference what he said was a transcript of the conversation, prepared by his secretary.
Gonsalves said the doctor’s comment were:
“Eat a lot of apples. The problem is, it’s always expensive to eat healthy, you understand. And thanks to your wicked government who you are dying for, everything gone up. But you don’t mind. Do you? Because you are supporting Ralph, right?
“I don’t understand all yo’ young people. You all will be suffering under these people and you all will still die for them. I don’t understand how all yo’ thinking.”
The Prime Minster said that the doctor also told the young woman that she needs to eat a lot of yogurt.
The physician is said to have noted that the supermarket used to sell yogurt for EC$2.70 but “since your worship government raised VAT, they gone up now to 2.95 or three dollars.
“I’m sure you wouldn’t mind paying more, right? That is just how it is. To eat healthy is expensive and Ralph Gonsalves make it even more expensive,” Gonsalves further read from the transcript.
In his Budget address earlier this year Gonsalves announced the imposition of VAT on a number of items, including sugar, flour, rice, cooking oil, salt, and chicken part, except the back and neck.
The new tax regime will take effect on May 1.
He said the doctor told the patient that his government did not put VAT on the unhealthy meat like chicken back, adding, “So poor people would have to eat more chicken back and they would die faster.
“I’m sure you wouldn’t mind either right? Anyway, that is how it is. Of course it’s politics. Every time you breathe, it’s politics. It has to be.”
Commenting on the doctor’s alleged comments, Gonsalves said one would think it is “a rant by an NDP fanatic on NICE Radio”.
He said the doctor’s purpose in the recording is not to advise on diet but to curse and abuse him, “never mind the fact that though I have now made sugar and salt and a couple of other things like the chicken parts save and except back and neck now vatable, the VAT ain’t coming in until the first of May, but, already, I am being criticized for raising it.”
Gonsalves who is also Minister of Finance said that yogurt is not on any list of items on which VAT would be imposed.
The Prime Minister, who is a lawyer, said that one would have thought that a doctor who wants to advise someone on their diet, would suggest local fruits.
He, however, said this was not the doctor’s interest.
“The government is paying a doctor, the people of St. Vincent is paying a doctor, someone has a health problem, goes to a doctor and instead of the doctor paying attention to the person’s condition, he wants to make it an occasion to rile up the person on partisan politics.
“Now, how in heaven name is that professional? How could that in heaven’s name be reasonable?” Gonsalves said.
“Let us stop these things. We have too many problems already,” he said, adding, “By all means, oppose me if you want to oppose me.
“By all means, vote for whoever you want to vote,” Gonsalves said but added that it is inappropriate for a state-employed physician to behave that way when someone comes to see them at a state facility.
He said there are already many persons who are reluctant to go see doctors and dentists.
“So, if somebody is going to … have a conversation about their eating and so on with a physician, the physician should make that visit as normal as possible. I would have thought so and I believe most people would think so, but there it goes. But, you see, the’re different sets of perspective.
“If I am out of the way, apparently all of the problems in St. Vincent would be solved.
“And no tax must be put on the probiotic yogurt … on drivers licences. St. Vincent would be a land of milk and honey. If you like milk and you don’t like honey, they would tell you migrate cause we only serve milk and we only serve honey. Let us be real. That’s all I am asking,” Gonsalves said.
Over the past year, some interesting secret recordings have surfaced in SVG.
Last year, Louis Straker was heard speaking in an untoward way about his fellow ruling Unity Labour Party (ULP) member and then MP for Central Leeward Maxwell Charles who had succeed him in that district.
Straker’s comment came one day after he came out of politics after a five-year break to replaced Charles as the ULP’s candidate in that district for the December 2015 elections, which Straker and the ULP went on to win.
And last November, recordings of man sounding strikingly similar to a prominent ULP politicians having phone sex with a female made the round on social media and instant messaging services.
And, in another recording late last year, a voice sounding strikingly similar to that of a ULP candidate was heard asking a young woman to get him the names of all the opposition New Democratic Party’s agents in East Kingstown for the December polls.
No one needs a dictionary to tell you this man is nothing short of a Communist. It doesn’t matter when the VAT is being implemented, the point is, IT IS IMMINENT. Unlike the PM who can afford the extra burden, there are seriously people who cannot, but who cares? Not him for sure.
When he criticizes journalist and editors, it’s no problem, but when someone criticizes him…it is unprofessional. SMDH!!!!
Let the Lion Roar, less you’ll be eaten!
Vincentians, there are so many things going on this country, is there any relevance to this at news conference? This is just another way to distract you and for Gonsalves to justify the soon to be firing of the doctor for being critical of him and his administration. This is total rubbish! Why didn’t he call a press conference to address allegations of the phone sex recording in which the voice sounded like a top politician in the ULP?
1. I always thought that Doctor-patient conversations were supposed to be privileged. I guess this doesn’t apply to little St. Vincent.
2. Was the woman on the Doctor-patient tape the same person recorded on the sex tape?
3. When not in season, home grown fruit is more expensive than imported apples.
4. If the Doctor’s private conversation was “unprofessional,” then what to call the Prime Minister’s reading of the transcript? Is this the kind of bottom-feeding melee-man who deserves to be leader of his country? Or is this a rant from paranoid control freak who wants everyone to blindly obey his every wish?
Good points! Our PM accuses those who criticize him of being unprofessional, but he is free to criticize all (the usual ULP privilege). Government employees are not allowed to have an opinion, and he is free to disclose conversations of doctor-patient relationships.
It would be interesting if the female voice is the same that is on the sex tape, but I doubt it. I have witnessed supporters of a certain party are now constantly taking out recorders when they hear others that criticize that party leader. Isn’t that gestapo tactics?
What is the overwhelming interest of Vincentians in this commess? Mr. PM you belittle yourself and the importance of your office withis this kind of nonsense.
Ralphie boy, first time you have ever spoken the truth, “you sure bet SVG will be better off without you and your gang. Also get real, don’t try to twist things, the real reason why people don’t want to go through the doors of medical institutions in SVG, is because conditions in all of them are deplorable…especially at Milton Cato Memorial. The health care employees are not the problem, the dirty condition and lack of medication at the hospital is the problem. You did not even go there when you said you stump your toe, you went overseas, why? Is it because health care in SVG is top notch?
Great! well said. I was at the hospital a few days ago and only one out of three bathrooms were working and the water in the sink did not even work. It was only possible to flush the toilet. I guess millions for building supplies before the election are more important than the people’s healthcare.
Gonsalves really is something else. Every word that he relayed as spoken by the doctor are based in fact.
The man is employed by the state not Ralph Gonsalves..
Now lets see if the usual spite and malice follows.
Peter, the State is not Ralph? Well I’ll be.
I think you better ask Ralph.
Where is the professionalism?. Must we ask which party you support first in order to be treated fairly.
It seems you can’t take a sh!# without someone recording you in vincyland.
Two wrongs can’t make a right. I despised this act of recording someone private conversation without their permission;unless of course you are doing so for your own safety or exposing some criminal act. But on the other hand, as a doctor, you really should refrain from engaging your patients in political conversation.
especially the special branch
https://www.iwnsvg.com/2016/04/29/patient-didnt-record-convo-with-doctor-as-pm-said/
All true! Too bad the PM and his top ULP are not accountable to the same laws as the rest of us…they may not be accountable to any laws.
As I have written here before, the ULP has been getting supporters to voice and video record those that do not support their government. I assume there must be some video recorded as well. The advantage of voice recording is that it is easier for the person being recorded be unaware. Leaders with integrity would never be involved with such behavior. What does that tell you?
Recording people that criticize a countries leader shows that a leader knows he has lost his grip on the people. Another tactic is the victimization of those who criticize the “great leader that loves his people” as Stalin did. They often even go so far as to cheat on elections because they know that they can’t win in a free and fair election.
The best way to stop people from criticizing him, would be for him to start doing things correctly. Dr. Salt seems not to realize that taxes are so high that labor costs are so high, that imported food is less expensive than food grown right here, (check chicken prices).
He does not tell us that with the exception of property taxes, SVG is one of the highest taxed countries on earth, thanks to our “good government, that loves the people”. We are not allowed to criticize that!
Doing things correctly, see this and what you say becomes more relevant.
https://www.iwnsvg.com/2016/04/29/patient-didnt-record-convo-with-doctor-as-pm-said/
You cannot get more Orwellian than this. At least I hope not. You cannot be more brass-face than to announce the Thought Police in Parliament. At least I hope not.
The Perfect Finger Prime Minister; the Bassy is an NDP dawg Prime Minister; the Matthew Thomas is a wutliss dutty dawg Prime Minister; the Alan Chastanet is a brown species mulatto Prime Minister; the Vynnette Fredericks went as a girl and came back a boy Prime Minister is in possession of clandestine as in illicit recording and reads it out, verbatim,[…] then turns around and calls somebody unprofessional. Is like they say, monkey cyar see he own tail. Or more to the point, it is like the pig said, All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.
I bet it is illegal to make that recording public. The best person to ask is Ralph well not the best. He would twist unprofessional like how he twisted a conflict of interest for Glen Beach. Like how Napoleon twisted equal.
You will forgive me if I am confusing classless with unprofessional.
I do not understand why this frightening story has frightened me as much as it did because when I had a column in The News, I accused this Government of Orwellian tactics and mindset as early as 2012. So I should know to expect this. It was downhill from there, albeit slowly, and now we are at the rock bottom. At least I hope so in as much as we are here.
(The News is not online so I cannot provide a link but that piece was published in The News on August 15, 2012, page eight.)
Although Pa pa is a terrible leader, I am sure things can get worse, He may be just doing auditions to be the next Erdogan , leader of a place like Turkey, who tolerates criticism even less than Pa pa. When he can no longer get loans…that is when things will really hit the fan!
Patrick, this is far worse than you say.
Read the follow up and cry for our poor, hungry-ass country under this megalomaniac masquerading as a man of the people.
Still, given the mentality of most of our people, we deserve him and he deserves us.
Boy ah love how de comrade dus drop it on all yo bunch ah idiots (look dem dey). Ah just love it!
Kenton of all the other important things discussed at the press conference, you choose only this? Nothing else was of any importance to you to present to us as useful information?
It only shows that you have no real interest in informing, educating, and or empowering the populace on any meaningful developments in SVG, on your blog. Im quite sure the PM presented this episode just to prove a point and he was/is correct. Kenton treats us just like the Dr in question. Kenton ‘aint serious. What a shame!
What a hoot Vinciman, shooting off your mealy mouth, read this and cry.
https://www.iwnsvg.com/2016/04/29/patient-didnt-record-convo-with-doctor-as-pm-said/
So, Vinciman if there was so much said why don’t you enlighten us? When the rest of us provide additional information you rant and rave, but never say anything of substance. Please provide facts and not just insults.
#1 Idiot Lostpet! nah # 2… Peter is # 1. Kenton ‘s job as a professional journalist is to “enlighten us”, so why you calling on Vinciman? am I THE journalist here?
Unlike you and the others I don’t wait on Kenton to enlighten me about my country, my PM, and my government.
“FOUR INNA ROW, GOING FOR FIVE”! Keep on fretting and then… “Fret some more”!
These comments go to the heart mind, and spirit of our Dear Leader.
Hence, it is very important to inform Vincentians, conscious and not, about the mentality of the man we have chosen to lead us “four-in-a-row.”
Love him or hate him, the Comrade is the man we deserve to rule over our ignorant, worthless, and hypocritical people.
Your comment proves my point 100%.
Is way d ole people say more in d water besides the pissle…. If I get that right. The whole story will come to light soon enough. Doctor better watch he back. Good family man dem trying to bring down. God don’t sleep.
Kenton and the comrade must be having a good laugh at all yo: and so is Vinciman. What a bunch of misfit Vincie’s without shame, and barefaced at that too. Lol!
I’m 100% certain that not one of our “in the know” misfits (watch dem dey) listened to PM Gonsalves press conference at all, or Kenton could not have pulled this prank and mislead you all with his sensational nonsense; never did listen and never will listen, and Kenton knows that too. So the jokes on whom? Idiots!
Keep them fiddling around in the dark. Keep them stupid Kenton, until 2020 elections. Good job! Labor loves you. FIVE INNA ROW!
Mr. Vinciman, I guess the so-called PM with all his hog wash did his number in your mouth so now you talking, no, no, writing hog sh…You are probably one of them getting bowdow so you too blind to see all the wrongs and hardships going on in SVG right now. What you are saying here and Ralph’s press conference have the same substance…hog sh…!!!
Anita you’re “one of them” dey= minority.
Vinciman is… majority win. Vinciman in the majority. And the word on the street is …”dem dey hate we Prime Minister and dey hate we too, because we love we Prime Minister and we government. And we is more dan dem…53% to be exact! Ah wey do dem?
SO THE SONG OF THE DAY IS “TEK YO LICKS LIKE A BIG MAN HAH HA!…
FIVE INNA ROW. ULP ME SAY.
Ah bet yo Kenton ‘fraid to post this”.Ah gwine copy n save for proof.