Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves says he issued a statement on Friday about the on-going protest in the United States because the regional bloc, CARICOM had taken too long to issue its own statement.
Gonsalves, who takes up the chairmanship of 15-member group on July 1, said on WE FM on Sunday that Kingstown had been awaiting the release of a CARICOM statement, adding that a draft had been circulated at the beginning of last week.
“But when I called on Friday morning the secretary general about 10:30 and he said there were five governments which hadn’t responded, I really couldn’t allow the weekend again to pass, the working day, the Friday to go by without we issuing a statement. I felt that CARICOM should have made a statement in a quicker period of time.”
On Friday, Gonsalves issued a statement saying,
“The government and people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines rejoice, in solidarity, with the people of the United States of America in their popular, broad-based and peaceful resistance currently underway in their defence and advancement of liberty and justice consequent upon the killing of an African-American, George Floyd, in Minnesota, at the hands, and knees, of the police.”
He said that it was because his government had been awaiting the CARICOM statement that Kingstown did not issue one earlier.
“The CARICOM statement, I must say, was not as strong as the one that the government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines has issued, but it was a good statement, nevertheless that they were gonna put forward,” Gonsalves said.
“I was hoping that the region, having recognised that there must be a position on it and articulate a stance that this national issue within the United States has now become an issue of international human rights and therefore, available for commentary by all right-thinking peoples the world over,” he further stated.
He said he happens to know that CARICOM chair, Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, and Secretary General Irwin LaRocque were trying to get the statement.
“And often when you try to get a statement, it wouldn’t be the at the point of the strongest because you have to accommodate different views, opinions and circumstances,” Gonsalves said.
In his statement on Friday, the prime minister said that the frequency with which African-American males meet their deaths through police violence in the United States and “the veritable legal immunity accorded to the police in a disproportionally high number of cases, have combined to push this twin occurrence beyond the boundaries of a domestic or internal matter, onto the agenda of international human rights.
“Friends and allies of the USA across the globe have been urging the American authorities to address efficaciously this metaphoric cancer in their society and body politic,” Gonsalves said.
Ralph Gonsalves is operating with blinders and the highest level of bigotry always. He is deliberately ignoring fact of his abuse of Vincentians, especially those of African descents. He is such a hypocrite and wanna that he doesn’t have the shame to be honest and shut.
In addition, he always likes to over step his scope. Why should he be making a statement on behalf of Caricom and there is the current chairman to do so. This man suppose to be exposed to some form of discipline.
He needs to shut up with his bigotry and hypocrisy once and for all. Also, he must start acting within his scope.
One of the rare occasions where Gonsalves says the right thing.
Racism is deeply rooted in Western culture. How else could Taylor Swift outsell Tupac Shakur, who was murdered by the Police? All lives matter.
A long time ago I attended classes at Queens College, NY in a.o. Black History.
When you consider that the Surgeon General of the USA had decided to test new contraceptives by introducing it into the water supplies to black neighborhoods.
Then you know what time it is.
Before attempting to correct others, make sure that you aren’t guilty of the same faults yourself. So dear Physician, heal thyself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGVdD_QxuEc
Amen @ James H.
The Combad is in so much hurry to prove his “dynastic” tactics, that he seeks to undermine the pleasantry and capability of the Caricom Chair and the Barbados PM.
Shame on you PM Combad, that your testicular fortitude got swollen with such a “back-raising antic”.
Who are you to say the statement taking was too long? Are you currently sitting in the chair ? And on top of it you explained the possibility of the delay BUT you did your thing. I say that was disrespectful.
Recently you were at Grenada PM Mitchell’s neck with the covid-19 saga. Now you are on 2nd strike for PM Mottley. You behaving like a tired old lion, Combad – afraid of loosing territory – but your time is up!
Go to your plantation and lie down.
https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/186752.pdf
He need to shut his mouth and deal with similar issues here .who he trying to fool ?
I stand with u PM
Gonsalves’ statement is better than nothing but just barely better. One from Caricom won’t be any better.
What I will be impressed about is when these islands, independantly or together pass laws similar to those of Israel in respect to the killing of Jews in other countries.
George Zimmerman could not have killed a Jew in Florida and then go on vacation in Jerusalem later. Similarly if Eric Garner were Jewish his killer, Pantaleo, would have been caught and taken to trial in Israel recognizing that the New York authorities were giving him a pass.
When others watch how we quickly dismiss the deaths of peoples of African descent and we in the Caribbean and Africa pretend to be blind and deaf, how can they conclude anything other than Black lives are of no value.
Not only Governments of these countries pretend they do not know what is happening in the US, our citizens also tell me they might lose the paltry American dollars that come from tourism
But that tourism also brings with it destruction of our environment, destruction of our values and destruction of our Black brothers and sisters.
Ralph you owe Vincentians an apology for treating Vincentians the same way Trump and his goons are doing in the US. I am sure you have seen my video with your police rat pack abusing women in Kingstown. Don’t even try to talk about the issue until you get down on your knees to Vincentians.
Blind and Corrupt so-called leader leading the people who need leadership. The wrath of God and the people be upon these wicked leaders heads
“Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.” Isa 1:4-6
There is no equal opportunity in nature, He said the right thing and it looks genuine to me.