Leader of the Unity Labour Party (ULP), Ralph Gonsalves has urged the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) to upgrade their campaign strategy and wardrobe if they intend to stand a chance in the upcoming general elections.
Speaking Tuesday night at the virtual launch of the ULP’s slate of 15 candidates, Gonsalves compared the Nov. 5 polls to applying for a job and hinted that the NDP’s campaign strategy will be ineffective in swinging the vote in their favour.
“I would want you to know that I consider this a job interview. I am applying for the job of Prime Minister once again,” said Gonsalves, who, as on Oct. 8 when he announced the election date, wore a “Nehru suit”.
“You are our interviewers, you the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. You are the electorate. We do not come to you and take this position lightly. We come to you in the right and proper manner. We come to you as any sensible and serious person would, properly attired, with seriousness for your consideration for the jobs for which we are applying,” the prime minister said.
“The 14 other candidates are applying for jobs as parliamentary representatives and as members of the Cabinet of St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” he said at the event in which the candidates wore suit, some of which were ill-fitted or buttoned unconventionally, or both.
“This means it has to be done in a manner conducive to the dignity of those offices and the very seriousness of the exercise that we are embarking- to elect a new government,” Gonsalves said ,
In the first of two speeches to party supporters, Gonsalves bashed the NDP for their choice of attire at the political meetings as well as the launch of candidates Sunday night in Owia.
The NDP candidates have been wearing yellow polo shirts with the party’s logo at meetings and at Sunday’s launch, they were decked out in yellow and blue, short sleeve dress shirts.
“Everyone knows that I am an informal person but there is a time for formality and this is one such time,” Gonsalves said.
“When you are applying for a job you don’t apply for a job in a polo shirt, not a serious job anyway. You put on your polo shirt to join the interviewers at a beach picnic or to river cook but not when you are applying for a job. You cannot go on a stage by giving yourself yellow t-shirts and have some cheap looking white ones for those who are listening to you. It seems to me already that they are making a distinction between chiefs and Indians — one rule for the Jews and one for the Gentiles. That is not how we do it.”
Gonsalves continued to stab at the NDP campaign strategies by criticising the inclusion of entertainers during political meetings, something for which his ULP is famed.
“Government is serious business to be conducted by serious people. It is not a branch of the entertainment industry. You may have entertainment to facilitate what you are doing in seriousness but entertainment can’t be the focus.”
The ULP held its launch on Tuesday, after the formal nomination of its candidate, and Gonsalves questioned the opposition’s decision to launch its candidates before nomination day.
“We do things in the proper order. We do the nomination first and then present our candidates. We don’t present them and then nominate them. That shows you how cockeye … that is.
“You don’t launch people as candidates before they become candidates. You would launch them as prospective candidates but they only became candidates today, when the registering officer accepted the nomination papers.”
All 15 of the NDP candidates were successful in completing the nomination process on Tuesday, despite rumblings that some candidates might have been considered ineligible to contest the polls.
What happen to Caribbean civilization. What happen to colonial attire? This fella scraping the bottom of the barrel
Best dress for an interview doesn’t get the job unless the job is related to fashion. Why is this even an issue? I expect this kind of nonsense from someone else and not the leader of a country. Talk policies, talk plans! What people wear does not speak for their plans.
The first thing to say is the PM has out ran of ideas and is talking crap. Why not put forward some policies for the next five year term? He knows the ULP will be swept from power on 5 November.
Vincentians are not too keen on what clothes they wear, as long as they are decent.
The coming election is more serious for Vincentians than the stlyles of clothes.
The election is not a job interview. It is about choosing a government to manage the country, which you have ruined. To grow the economy, to provide jobs for the unemployed. To provide better health care, which your government failed to do.
To repair roads and importantly to UNITE the nation. It is the ULP that has divided SVG and this division has caused lot of problems for Vincentians.
So, PM we need substance not propaganda, like you put out on you website. For example, unemployment falling. Even using a graph. This is a lie PM
Ah way the jeez am reading here? Comrade you need to come better than that. It’s as if you’re grabbing at straws!
The giant toddler again? So what is nasty about that? How lower can you go? If you put a pig in a jacket and tie it will still be a pig, if you put an accused rapist in a the jacket and tie, he will still be a the rapist.
I think that the people will prefer a healthy looking man , than one in that attire looking unwell,
So the PM believes clothes maketh man? He really needs to come better than that.
Plenty people who dress up in suits daily are some of the most corrupt, lazy and women abusers. They rape women and girls and sexual abuse and exploit them for favors.
If that is the trademark for ‘suits’ give us the Polo shirts. We women dont want to be raped by ‘thugs in suits!
Give us the respectable men in polos.
What’s the matter with the 5 tonne general,wasn’t it he who always talk about our caribbean civilization and all that,what the hell attire has to do with ,the message we are interested in the message not the attire, and as far as I’m concerned, NDP has the message,you could keep the attire ,this is not a fashion parade ok.yiu really scraping the bottom of the barrel.LABOUR DEAD…
The person who pen this article did similar to what Gonsalves did when they spoke about the ill fittings of the suits of the ULP candidates.
If this was not such a serious matter I would have laughed
He is correct in what he said but it’s politics so ppl would always opposed anyhow don’t mind me I am Bajan
In my very first job interview, I had no one to groom me and tell me what to say, I was fresh out of College, no working experience, I had no nice clothes to wear, I wore some decent old clothes from the limited choices in my closet, I wore no cosmetics or used any form of beauty enhancing aid, my hair was not styled in any special style but a simple bun, and my overall grooming was rated 4/10. There were other interviewees who were well attired, past and present runway models, past and present queens, they had more working experience than me, but in the end I was chosen for the job based on my genuine character traits of honesty, integrity, intelligence and wits, insight, friendly nature, team player, willing to learn, respectful, guided by values and code of ethics, good manners, calm demeanour, coherent, objective and sound answers to interview questions, class and most of all reflected the ideals and visions of the Job. I maintained my values and followed the rules on the job even when no one was watching. As a result, was recognised as one of the best workers in my field of service at the time. Vincentians, continue to use your eyes for perception, your ears for knowledge and your hearts for understanding and analysis. Be not deceived in this 2020 election. Ask are they reflecting the ideals, hope, dreams and visions of all Vincentians whether rich or poor, religious beliefs, or lineage in their policies? Are their patterns of behaviours focused on unity, respecting the rights of humanity, equity and equality as their mantra? Do you get a job opportunity based on your own merits and qualifications or based on your family or political ties? Is health care and quality education a priority? not just a building… but a comprehensive plan to ensure your development as a valuable human resource, Are their general plans grounded in destructive selfish ambitions or hopeful genuine care for humanity and the environment? Are their policies and programs guided by genuine science or some other means?….Choose wisely. This election will trail blaze your path for your future and children’s future…..
It’s a shame, after nineteen and a half years as prime minister you cannot campaign on your record for this election. So you chose to pick the most popular plan in your manifesto by attaching the NDP apparel . Is this one of your plan to lift SVG higher for 2020?
That cross between a hypo and a warthog needs to shut his flytrap. Vincentians are catching hell because of his negligence. Hospital in a mess, no accountability, nepotism and corruption everywhere. And this joker thinks people are going to be distracted by his bullshit. Sit your miserable ass down and be quiet.
That interview going to send your tired ass home. You are not qualifIED to run a donkey cart much less a country. Darm economic dunce.
I am not at all surprised reading the comments here. I found this to be very low. As a leader who is seeking another term in the governance of the country the comrade should focus more on matters of concern to the populace and forget these trivialities. What happened to Pan-Africanism and getting rid of all that is associated with our colonial master. Things don’t look good for you, Ralph.