The various ethnic groups of St. Vincent and the Grenadines have “become creolised and integrated” over the last four decades and there is no dog-whistle racism in the country.
This is in contrast to the “elephantine whistle racism” in some developed countries where people are encouraged to chant “send them back” in reference to naturalised citizens, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves says.
Speaking at Saturday’s launch of “Renewal @40”, a series of events and activities to mark SVG’s 40th anniversary of independence (Oct. 27, 2019) Gonsalves said that during slavery and very much into the early years of the 20th Century, the ethnic, racial, cultural sections in SVG “each had its own relatively distinct pattern of socio-cultural integration”.
He, however, told the event at the Villa Campus of the Community College that “through the fever of history, we have seen people coming together, intermarriages”, adding that one-quarter of the population is identified in the census as persons who are mixed.
“And in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, we do not have any institutional racism and at a personal and individual level, if you find an individual racist, it would be an individual racist and that person would have to hide himself or herself in the privacy of their bedrooms.
“In today’s society, we can teach, in today’s world, we can teach developed countries, some near to us and some not so near to us a great deal about integration. In this land, after 40 years of independence, there is no racism, there is no xenophobia, there is no anti-Semitism, there is no Islamophobia, we see people as individuals, and they have their rights.
“In this country, citizens — all citizens — have the same rights. And we have here in our country, citizens from America who are Vincentian citizens, from Canada, from Britain, from Europe, from all through the Caribbean; Latin America, the Middle East, and every single one of these citizens can vote in an election, they can run for election, including for the office of prime minister.
“In some countries, the dog whistle racism, indeed, it is so heightened, you can’t call it dog whistle anymore, you have to call it elephant whistle racism; some countries, theirs is elephantine whistle racism.
“We did not tell anyone who is a citizen of our country to go back from where they come. We do not chant and we do not encourage anyone to chant ‘send them back’,” Gonsalves said.
The prime minister’s “send them back” comment was in apparent reference to chants at a rally of United States president, Donald Trump.
The president did or said nothing as the chant directed at naturalised US lawmakers continued for close to a minute.
What? No dog-whistle racism in St Vincent and the Grenadines! Say that again! We wish that was indeed true. Just cruse around the Grenadines in order to verify that statement or stroll into the business premises in Kingstown, before repeating such profound twaddle!
If what Gonsalves wish, was to take a dig at the US president, he should indeed truly take note of exactly what the US President really had to say, and not distort matters for his own nefarious ends.
In a nutshell the US President was telling his hard left gang of four critics, knows there as the squad, that if they were so much against the American way of doing things, that they should go back from where either they or their parents came from, there observe how things are done in-situ, and if they like those poverty ravaged places, then they should return to the US and show the US people how best to do things.
Equally so like the gang of four, Ralph Gonsalves have taken his doctrines from Fidel Castro of Cuba, Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua, Chavez and now Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela and see what that bunch have done to those three countries. Now see what a wretched mess likewise the extended Gonsalves family have equally done of St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Send him back, at least send him somewhere.
LOL, Great comment! I do not think the lack of racism has much of anything to do with Gonsalves. In general SVG is not a racist country such as Guyana. However. If Jomo Thomas were white and you switch the words black and white around in much of his writing, he would be considered a racist anywhere. Strange how the world has a double standard.
NEVER MINCED WORDS
Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has never been one to ‘…Minced Words.’
If he throws corn, he knows who would likely to pick them up.
Likened to Robert Nestor ‘Bob’ Marley, he could say, ‘..Me throw me corn; …Me no call no fowl; and ‘…Who the cap fits, let him wear it.’
So any world leaders who may feel peeved may put it in a pipe and smoke it.
Julian said he just has to whistle and his dogs will come out. Ralph forget his statements about Honorable Mr. Eustace about Bush being able to him in the night. With respect to the statement about send them back he did not say that but he said in essence don’t allow them to come here, with respect to granting the Garifuna honorary citizenship in SVG. He was never accused of rape by anyone of his coloration.
You are right Noel Dickson. I had forgotten those instances when Gonsalves behavior was certainly questionable concerning racism.
LOL! WELL SAID MR. JACKSON.
Christian st Vincent and the grenadine you all better wake up for this is one way to destory a pure blood line of people it is done by intermixing in time there would be no pure blooded vincentians this this really mean God holy way of worship will also be mix you will have to accept all others religious form of worship into Christianity we are a Christian nation and people this is another way for Jehovah God to let us go and to remove his protection from this blessed island the land and its people is given to the Heathen countries and their people by the hands of your leader soon every evil kine of demonic spirit will dwell here because God Jehovah will not protect this country and its people any more you just cant mix. The heathen with the Christian Jehovah God pure body or church we are his temple wake up!!
From which blood line of people is this prime minister ? every good tree is known by it fruit.
Mr Wilson Ralph Gonsalves is from the Portuguese Madeira bloodline
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antão_Gonçalves
This was his ancestry, should he himself not be paying reparations on behalf of his ancestors? Just like he is asking Europeans and the British to pay reparations on behalf of their ancestors?
Let he who throws the first stone pay the first reparations, in fact he hasn’t even apologised for his ancestors actions.
No one seems to care a damn this matter has been kicking around now for years.
Ralph b do try to fool VincentIans that there is an absence of racism in St Vincent. Who makes critical decisions that affect the lives of Vincent Ian at all material times? The white man or those that are as most white. Who owns most of the corporation in St Vincent? The answer again is the same. Have you ever seen a white man sent to jail? Almost never in the history of St Vincent. The institutions that the colonial masters left behind are stereotypical to the black man.
Who owns the most real estate from colonial times? The answer is the same. There is racism in St Vincent , either by the institution that were left by the colonial masters and by the creole decedents of the master who is still sa racist. Look into your crystal ball and tell me that there is no racism in St Vincent.
JB you are obviously one of the ignorant and a racist to espouse such twaddle.
Jolly you are probably living under a rock if you cannot see the truth. You are probably estranged from the homeland.