Minister of Finance, Camillo Gonsalves says the main opposition New Democratic Party (NDP), “is a party of cash grabs”.
“China is a cash grab; passports is a cash grab,” he said of the NDP’s policy to switch diplomatic representation to sever diplomatic ties with Taipei and recognise Beijing.
“Toll booth on Sion hill is a cash grab,” the East Kingstown MP said, referring to an idea floated by NDP candidate for Dwight Fitzgerald Bramble, which he later withdrew.
“The ULP, on the other hand, has detailed actual implementable plans. We have a record of bringing those plans to fruition. And when I talk about plans, I’m not talking about a meme on Facebook. I talking about plans that we have thought through that we have analysed, that we have funded and that are underway as we speak.”
Gonsalves, who is seeing a second term as MP for East St. George, said his Unity Labour Party has a plan to make the Argyle International Airport work through the creation of new hotels.
“We have a plan to improve our competitiveness and efficiency through the construction of our modern port. We have a plan to expand the blue economy with fishery centres. We have a plan to create jobs in hospitality, construction, logistics, ICT, agriculture, fisheries, medicinal cannabis, professional services, and health care.”
Gonsalves said that the ULP has a plan that is being implemented to bring Sandals Beaches resort – to take over the failed Buccament Bay Resort, which has been shuttered since December 2016.
The party also has a plan to bring Holiday Inn Express, and Marriott Resorts, to the country, he said referring to the two companies that will manage two hotels that the government is building.
The minister also spoke of Royal Mill Hotel, a private sector investment at Ratho Mill.
“Look in the history of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, we’ve never had hotels like that come into mainland St. Vincent. And it’s because we have a plan,” he said.
“We have a plan to grow our economy without selling our passports and our patrimony,” the minister said, referring to the NDP’s proposed citizenship by investment programme.
“We have a plan to make us more resilient to climate change. Look around at the river defence and the sea defence all over this country. And we have a plan to continue improving our health care with a modern Lewis Punnett home in Glen and an acute referral hospital Arnos Vale.”
Sounds just like his father. Can’t wait to take over huh ?
He sounds like his father because the script is from his father. Everything any ULP candidate says either is dictated to them by Ralph or first has to be vetted by Ralph before it is said in public. Any observant person can see this plain as day!
This gives the appearance that they are all of one mind. It is difficult to believe that all the ULP candidates have such small minds and self-defeating policies for Hairouna. I wonder how the “Boy Wonder” would do without the Fatman?
Is it possible to have a transparent CBI program (granting passports by investment) or is it better to have a secret CBI program where the money is unaccounted for?
Should we concentrate most of our energy on developing these hotels at a time when tourism is dead? Or should we think about other means of income resilient from the Covid-19 and other sicknesses and viruses Bill Gates promises will come?
Which party is forward-thinking, and which is backward-thinking?
Well if the NDP is cash grabbing, it would be for the country instead of for the Royal clan.
Camillo Gonsalves tells us that the 2020 elections are about ‘a lot of fundamental issues’ and he sure is correct, the first of which is the non-existence of JOBS, the absence of which, particularly for the young, is a damning indictment against the autocratic ULP regime. A regime that is joined at the hip with CUBA and VENEZUELA!
Yet there is nothing unusual in this, as we could find the same situation with similar tyrannical autocratic regimes of which Iran, Nicaragua and North Korea immediately comes to mind.
That the Gonsalves should chose to take SVG along the same path as these obnoxious regimes, is not at all surprising, since all but Iran, share the same sentiments as did Adolf Hitler, Mao Zedong and Joseph Stalin. Tyrannical dictatorship with the denial of personal freedom! Who here do not take note of the Murry Family’s plight? https://www.iwnsvg.com/2020/08/17/video-communist-land-acquisition-in-svg/ the like of which we find in Communist China, Cuba and Venezuela.
Another fundamental issue for us is the extensive growth in nepotism and crony capitalism during the Gonsalves questionable stewardship of SVG. In his recent opinion Post here headed “The state of play” Jomo reminds us as to very sad place where the Gonsalves have taken us;
“Poverty at 30%, daily begging of young and old on the streets, high unemployment rate (estimated to be over 40% of young people, and the hundreds of hagglers on the streets eking out a living, provide evidence of a developmental malaise……” https://www.iwnsvg.com/2020/09/26/the-state-of-play/ therefore it is not surprising either that we after 20enty years of the Gonsalves family regime we are now the 4th poorest country in the Caribbean.
What all these things indicate to us is that we need change, change in another direction from where this autocratic family have taken us. Surely, we sure have had enough of their talk and misrule?
I am again reminded of that British Prime Minister who reminded that nation how prosperity is arrived at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAGqKhSw5Lg
I wishing he had a plan for agriculture, which is the backbone of the economy. He spoke about large hotels to be built. Would these hotels be finished and become operational? The future of tourism is uncertain. The ULP likes to engage in large projects, which mostly fail.
Let us get to the main point though. The coming elections. We must vote them out of office before they do more damage to our lovely SVG. We must no forget this main point. Vote them out of office.
who is more cash grabbing, with most of the Grenadines is, sold to the highest bidders soon we will be left with st vincent standing alone. Our grandchildren and great grandchildren will only hear about these islands, but will not be able to visit or even buy a piece of ours beautiful islets to call home.
Well said guys, and that’s why they will do anything, and by any means to stay there to grab more cash, they will leave no stone unturned, even if its by blatantly theft, bribery, lying. I think that vincentians are being denied the govt for the last 3 terms that they had voted for. What ever is in darkness will one day come to light.