Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves says he gave Vincentian Olympian Shafiqua Maloney EC$10,000 of his personal money after it became public in February that she was facing severe financial and other difficulties in the United States as she prepared to represent her home country, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, at the Paris Olympics.
“She needed help right away. I asked her for her details,” Gonsalves said, asking Maloney, mid-sentence, if she minded him speaking about his donation to her.
“You don’t mind me saying this, Shafiqua? I can speak? And from my own personal resources, I sent her $10,000 — US$4,000, because you needed help,” Gonsalves said.
Gonsalves’ government was criticised for failing to help that athlete who struggled through homelessness in 2023 and was meeting it hard paying her bills up to February when she spoke to Sportsmax, a Jamaican television station.
“I heard a lot of people talk a lot of things. First time I’m talking that,” Gonsalves said. “‘Wah Ralph ah do?’ Do you know what I mean?” Gonsalves said, echoing his critics.
“Plenty, plenty talk, but not one of them will put down in the pocket to send 10 cents,” he said, adding, “But the matter had come to my attention, and I acted.”
He said that about three weeks later, representatives of the One St. Vincent Group (OSV) went to talk to him about business and expanding.
“And Shafiqua was on my mind,” Gonsalves said. “And I said to the OSV people; I outlined the situation. I say, ‘While other people are helping, I know you all are good, Christian business people. I want you to help this young lady.’
“They wouldn’t be happy for me talking about this, because they, like me, don’t like to talk about when they help. And they made the contribution, which was also transmitted,” the prime minister said.
Maloney has also secured sponsorship from local companies, including ECGC and Coreas.
Gonsalves said that sending an athlete of Maloney’s quality to the Olympics is “very expensive business.
“Some people may see a bill, an estimate coming by for one year at US$36,000. You think that is money for an Olympic-quality athlete? That is keeping you at the margin? I don’t talk about all these things usually, and they think that I don’t understand this business but I’ve been around long enough and I read and I talk to people and I study,” the prime minister said.
“That is, Jomo, as you know, small money, so you have to dig a little deeper for each year over the next four years and so, too, other sponsors, including the government and other individuals,” Gonsalves told Jomo Cato, chief executive of ECGC, which has signed an EC$125,000 two-year sponsorship deal with the athlete.
“And KFC has to dream a little more than they have dreamed so far, because her journey between now and 2028 is a journey which will take a lot of money,” the prime minister said, referring to another of Maloney’s sponsors.
The prime minister also announced that the Cabinet decided last week that the government would give Maloney a gift of US$10,000.
Ralph Gonsalves taking advantage again. Now that Moloney has proven herself among the best. Now he wants to secure his election one more time. Now government want to give US$10.000. Now he bragging, he gave EC$10.000 to her. Now she was on his mind. Now he want to ride the waves with her. We must all be stupid.
So what? The PM receives the same amount of money that the Opposipn Leader recieves to run his office. This is different from his salary as PM and all the perks he gets of being PM. So to give Ms Maloney $10 000 is pocket change.
Welll well well well😂😂😂😂I’m so glad he first of all had $10,000 to give must of us ain’t got $1,000 saved or spare cash. I’m not going to say it but we all know what was done wasn’t charity or really good will ??? Let me mind mine own business and leave it there. I sure others will have plenty to say. New saying we Dotish ?? But we ain’t stupid
The s is so disgusting. This scribe/pharacy doing things for the public. Trying to make mileage from this ladys situation. Shame in you Mr PM
and mek yo nar buy emerency medicine for de accident and emergency department? imagine a nurse had to give my relative a prescription at 11.30 at night, saying , boy if yo want yo son go wake up some pharmacist to get these medication. the medication were cough mixture and ventolin solution for nebulization, the child was a 4 years asthmatic. ah yo really love the poor.
D most embarrassing and unprofessional man in svg history?
PM just a question as it comes from the horse ‘s mouth that you gave Shafiqua $10,000 of your own money Are you expecting dividends from the investment? If not why not? No one makes an investment with a reasonable expectation of a return on Investment (ROI). Will it be unconscionable to ask the question?