Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves says that the petitions filed by the opposition, which the court dismissed last Thursday, have “besmirched” the name of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Speaking on Star FM, his party’s radio station on Thursday, after the High Court ruling, Gonsalves said that since the December 2015 filing of the legal challenges, the New Democratic Party (NDP) took the country’s name “and put it in the dirt”.
“We are known for having free and fair elections. And the OAS and CARICOM and the local observers say yes, the elections were free and fair and reflected the will of the people.
“They say there might have been an administrative glitch here or there but it reflected the will of the people,” he said.
On Thursday, after a full trial earlier this month, acting High Court judge, Stanley John dismissed the petitions for want of evidence.
The NDP has filed the petition challenging the outcome in Central Leeward and North Windward, where electoral officials said that Unity Labour Party’s Sir Louis Straker and Montgomery Daniel had defeated the NDP’s Benjamin “Ben” Exeter and Lauron “Sharer” Baptiste.
Gonsalves said that since filing the petitions on Dec. 31, 2015, the NDP “telegraphed to investors don’t come; St. Vincent has a government which is not legitimate.
“But you notice that in all the time, I paid no attention to them because I know I would get this time to talk and I’ll take more,” Gonsalves said.
“They have besmirched the good name of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. You see, they have a scorched earth policy. They pull down every single thing under the sun so that if, per chance, they ever were to get into office, what they going to rule over, the rubble, the disaster?”
Gonsalves said that he is “a strong person in my head” and his Unity Labour Party is strong.
“And I just simply tell the fellas, the men and women in our party, let’s just continue to do our work. Sooner rather than later, they will be exposed for what they are: anti national, undemocratic, because they lost the election but they who lost the election want to be in government, just like how they want the policies that were defeated that I must adopt them.
“You ever hear any cockeye story like that since you born? That you who lose election, I must implement your policies and I must step aside because what, some loudmouth name Kay Bacchus or Cummings or Friday or Leacock say they teef the election?” Gonsalves said, referring to opposition Members of Parliament.
“Well, the process of justice grinds slowly but it grinds finely and we have come to this particular path now and they are left naked and they will pay a price in the next election for having done all of this to the country and they will pay a price also because cost will be assessed against them. Ah lot ah money because this case has been going on for a long, long time. We will see what happens further, but clearly, a big bill is there to come,” he said.
The NDP has hinted that it would appeal the court’s decision.
“An administrative glitch here or there” occurs in the best of process everywhere in the universe, as it is human errors in a world where none of us are perfect. However, where effective leadership is in place; many of these hiccups could have been avoided.
Therefore, to blame the NDP for SVG’s name ‘in dirt’ is refusing to accept your responsibility to ensuring transparency within the process, considering that losing or winning the election would also put the ULP at stake.
Where there have been repeated inconsistencies overlooked, we must have expected a foreseeable petition, that someone will someday; get the guts to open the bag of worms which has been forming for some years.
I will repeat the common advice of those ethical leaders who preceded us: “put your best foot forward” and “lead by example”. “What you sew you shall reap”. Now is for the ‘clean up our SVG name period’ as appealing the court decision is useless. People want to hear the legitimate mandate for governance now that election is in the air again.
Anyone has a right to petition the court if they feel aggrieved. In this case, I will have to disagree with the PM’S utterances. I am certain the ULP may have taken the same stance if the roles were reversed. This is why the courts were established.
That being said, legally, the cases had no likelihood of success based on what was pleaded. Brian Cottle was spot on ab initio and the NDP would have saved themselves a lot of money and time had they listened to the reasons and not only what was said by the Learned Judge.
I am happy that the matters were fully ventilated in the court and eagerly await the reaction of the NDP, months before another election is pending.
Fact: You cannot change the minds of strong ULP or NDP voters. However, the NDP’s next move is being closely monitored by the independents. This group will be the deciding factor in ensuing elections.
Besmirched the good name of St.Vincent,that man for real was St.Vincent’s name besmirched by the Rape allegations. Weren’t they besmirched by the Yogi Farrell Affair,what about the way y’all treated Bigger Bigs who besmirched SVGs good name then.Please gimme a break Mr PM you serious …..
There is some truth to this assertion insofar as the “no justice, no peace” mantra of the NDP and its false claim that the 2015 election was “tief” implies an undemocratic and anti-law ideology.
But the “besmirched the good name” of SVG accusation has no credibility because the country has no name — good, bad, ugly, or indifferent — outside the narrow confines of the Eastern Caribbean region.
How many of us in the disapora have not told people that we are definitely not from Jamaica but come from a country called St. Vincent and the Grenadines and received a polite but incomprehensible head nod in return. Of course, the same holds true for Dominicans who are always confused with people from the Dominican Republic.
This man could be so economical with the truth at times! Why would an investor invest in a pseudo Marxist economy run by an extended family I ask you? Which capitalist worth their salt would risk his/her investment money in a bomb out little country where nepotism and cronyism rule sway and a wannabe Marxist is on the rampage?
See how the capitalist investors have fled Cuba in the past, the once thriving Brazil the day Lula took hold of the government and Venezuela recently once the Marxist took charge of that economy. Let these be a most sobering warning and a lesson for SVG, as only beggary and poverty awaits us under this Ralph Gonsalves extended family dictatorship!
Perhaps one should remind this man of what Capitalism is all about!
https://www.bbc.com/ideas/videos/is-capitalism-here-to-stay/p06g9czp?playlist=the-a-z-of-isms
Ethical Investors if they are any good are for sure hard nose Capitalist, not ideological dreamers, and who would sure like to receive good returns on their investment, free of negotiations with wannabe Marxist, conmen, petty criminals and spivs!
Our road to serfdom began the day the ULP took up office here and the Ralph Gonsalves’s dictatorship began. The promised utopia is yet to materialize as so too is that long promised “Freedom of Information Parliamentary Act”.
Not surprising however, since the socialist dream is just that, a fanciful dream for lazy individuals looking to take what belong to someone else’s! https://www.the-philosophy.com/hayek-road-to-serfdom-summary
You left out Argentina and other countries which saw the flight of job- and wealth-creating capital after the leftists took charge and ran their countries into the ground.
But Gonsalves and SVG do not really belong on this list because the Comrade is only a paper Marxist who talks the radical leftist talk while walking the capitalistic straight and narrow… at least sort of.
The last issue that actually “besmirched the good name” of SVG was precipitated by this very government.
The Buccament Bay Resort fisaco, an event that is still reverberating in financial, legal, and tourism circles has never been properly accounted for by this Prime Minister, aided and abetted by an incompetent opposition constantly tilting at every imaginary windmill it can conjure up, including their phony election petitions shenanigans.
When will the Prime Minister reveal the contents of the due dillegence study his advisors must have done when David Ames proposed to build his resort at Buccament Bay? And why hasn’t the Opposition demanded to see this report?
LOL…..RALPH SOUNDING LIKE TRUMP LOL………..” WE WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENS ”
“CLEARLY A BIG BILL IS THERE TO COME ” ………
I MUST ADD ANY APPEAL FILED WOULD EVEN ADD TO A BIGGER BILL …….TAKE MY ILLEGITIMATE ADVICE NDP , DO NOT FILE THIS APPEAL , LICK YOUR WOUNDS AND MOVE FORWARD…….THATS FREE ADVICE TO YOU FROM A NOBODY “ME”….NO INFLATED LEGAL FEES …..LOL
The Election in St.vincent and the Grenadines is like a three card Monty. That’s the glitch, here and there. Why’s Ralph Gonsalves thinks he can talk bullshit to vincentians and things he is more educated than anyone else.
I think the only person or group who besmirched the name of SVG, was whoever planned and succeeded in committing election fraud. That is how the people see it and always will
I agree with part of your assertion, namely the second part but not the first.
There was no election fraud as the detailed and careful decision of Justice John clearly shows (https://www.eccourts.org/lauron-baptiste-v-vil-davis-et-al-addendum/).
But “the [NDP] people see it and always will” see it as election fraud. That is their right to do so. But that is certainly not how the law and courts see it, which is the only way too see it unless we want the law of the jungle to prevail.
The besmirchment of SVGs name started when the ULP was taken over by a Marxist-Leninist organization and then Gonsalves became Prime Minister following 2001 Road Block Revolution.
That was, the beginning of the end of any perceived decency in SVG. Then the follow on of bribing the electorate prior to every election by giving ULP supporters up to 50 million dollars worth of building materials.
No Investor, except people like Dave Ames would want to work with such leadership.
That is why, in the last 18 years all the investors at Camden park left and why no normal investor would ever want to invest in SVG.
How about all the women who alleged that Gonsalves sexually assaulted them did that not besmirch the name of SVG. And not one of them was ever sued for making false allegations, and Gonsalves never appeared in any court of law to deny any of those allegations.
Isn’t it time this matter was sorted out because it is a continuing source of besmirchment. It just will never go away the smirch remains.
You must enquire of yourself Ralph, are you the smirch?