Advertisement 87
Advertisement 323
An artist's impression of the proposed acute referral hospital. (PHoto: Facebook/Ralph Gonsalves)
An artist’s impression of the proposed acute referral hospital. (PHoto: Facebook/Ralph Gonsalves)
Advertisement 219

Despite a Facebook post to the contrary, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves says he has never said that the World Bank will finance the construction of an acute referral hospital, which his government says it would build in Arnos Vale.

A June 24 post on the Ralph Gonsalves Facebook page, confirmed by the social media network as the authentic page of the veteran politician, said that the Unity Labour Party (ULP) government had, from the World Bank, the funding for the hospital.

Ralph GOnsalves post
The post on Gonsalves’ official Facebook page.

However, opposition spokesperson on health issues, Daniel Cummings, called out the prime minster at a New Democratic Party (NDP) virtual meeting on Thursday, accusing him of lying to the public.

“Within recent times, if you go to the Facebook page of a man called Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, you would see that they are telling this country that they have the money to build this modern hospital and they go further and tell you that that money is secured from the World Bank,” said Cummings, who is also Member of Parliament for West Kingstown. 

“A liar ain’t geh no memory,” Cummings told social media and radio audiences, adding that since the beginning of the current term of the ULP administration — which began in December 2015 — the World Bank provided funds to pay for the design of the hospital.

Advertisement 21

“That design finished early in this year and they come up with a brand new hospital on Facebook. A picture of a brand new hospital and then they tell you that the World Bank has given them the money to build it.

“Ladies and gentlemen, boy and girls, that is a fundamental, blatant lie,” Cummings said.

He said that the World Bank has advised that the funding they provided is only for design of the hospital.

“They have provided no funds for the construction of that hospital,” Cummings said.

However, speaking on WE FM on Sunday, Gonsalves said he had noticed that the NDP was accusing him of lying.

“I see the NDP is saying that Ralph has lied or there is a hoax that we have the funding for the hospital from the World Bank. I have never said that we have the funding from the World Bank for the hospital.

“If you listen to my speeches, public — and on the platform and in Parliament and on the radio, I say the World Bank has financed the search for the site, the study for the site and they selected Arnos Vale.

“The World Bank has financed, the design for the hospital and I have said that having financed the search for the site and the design, I do not expect them to leave us in the lurch.

“And both myself and the finance minister have raised the issue directly with the relevant officials in the World Bank in the next cycle for possible consideration. But I never said we got funding.

“Apparently, on my Facebook page, the person who manages that, I haven’t looked to see whether what the NDP is saying is true, that either it was said or it was suggested that we had the funding from the World Bank.

“And if my Facebook page said that, that’s an inaccuracy. But they should take what I have said out of my own mouth repeatedly, but they want sideshows you see. Eh?

“The fact is this, I have a site selected by the World Bank finance consultants, I have a design done, and the question is, if I get money to build an international airport, is a hospital I wouldn’t get money fah? From whichever source?”

However, while the prime minister said that it is inaccurate to say that the World Bank had financed the construction of the hospital, the post remained on his Facebook page up to 5:28 a.m. Tuesday, more than 24 hours after he said it was inaccurate and four days after Cummings pointed it out.

6 replies on “On hospital financing, PM says his Facebook page is wrong”

  1. Is what our government ever telling us ranks as the truth? Who in SVG will ever believe the SVG Government statements or treat the statements as complete facts? For good morals and perfect rectitude in our behaviour, we are advised, be it in public life or otherwise, to be utterly upright. So let us all be reminded of those very things that we are apt to read at Proverbs 6:16-19 New King James Version (NKJV)

    We read; “These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren”. With these things in mind what kind of persons or people ought we to be? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JePq8Zz28HE

  2. Fidus Achates says:

    The truth cannot lie. What a delima. They gonna get found out anyways. They won’t stay in power forever. VINCENTIANS need to wake up from all of these antics this lying regime is up to. You can fool some of the people but you can’t fool all of the people.

  3. How can what he says on Facebook not be what he wrote, is he saying it is a forgery?

    Trying to hide lies with more lies just will not work.

  4. It must be terrible to be got RED-HANDED telling lies…and nevertheless still trying to deny them. George Bush did not get away with it. Bill Clinton sort of pulled it off Obama got away with telling lies. Will our Prime Minister pull it off now that he again has been caught RED-HANDED?

    If he can lie in his writings and blame it on someone else, what about his speeches? We are all noticing he is blaming the fail of LIAT on others when HE has had far more control over the enterprise than anyone.

    What is worse: telling lies or repeatedly believing someone that tells lies?

  5. Vincy Lawyer says:

    Is Sehon Marshall as Press Secretary responsible for the PMs social media presence?

    Just asking a logical question?

Comments closed.