Central Kingstown MP, St. Clair Leacock says that the Unity Labour Party administration has added to the national debt this year more than the New Democratic Party did in almost 17 years in office.
“But right now, what you have to understand is that in this year alone, through the hospital loan, the government has borrowed more money than the New Democratic Party borrowed in 17 years,” he told his “Season of Reason” village meeting in Largo Height.
The government has borrowed US$125 million (about EC$334 million) from Taiwan, US$80 million of which will be used to build the Acute Referral Hospital at Arnos Vale.
“Think about that. In one year, the loans borrowed by this government is more than what NDP borrowed in 17 years. And they ain’t done yet because to do business in the country next year, they will have to borrow, borrow, borrow and borrow again because there’s no money bringing in here into St. Vincent except by taxes.”
Leacock, an NDP vice-president, told the meeting, hosted jointly with his West Kingstown colleague, Daniel Cummings on Saturday that he had seen on his phone that House Speaker Rochelle Forde had disallowed a question he had intended to ask Minister of Finance Camillo Gonsalves in Parliament.
“… the question, I said, was to draw attention to the Minister of Finance that between the years 2012 to the years, I think, to 16 to 18 or thereabout, the government did not collect and spend over $1 billion of money.”
Leacock said he was raising the issue at the meeting, though the point might be difficult to follow.
“… but the people overseas can understand what Major is saying,” he added, referring to himself by his military rank.
“They have been lying through their teeth to say that they are doing things to help St. Vincent. That’s why last week he was in the United Nations trying to say that this thing can’t go on forever; we will be bankrupt and we’ll get to hell in a basket shell,” he said, referring to Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves.
“So why do you want to entrust yourself to that kind of leadership?” he asked people at the meeting and media audiences.
“The danger in it, brothers and sisters of West and Central Kingstown, is this: they are so steeped into corruption and misbehaviour in public office that they are afraid, just like jumbie (ghosts) fraid holy water to lose government. And that’s why he is of the view that when he goes out, which eventually he must, give my son the next 25 years.”
PM Gonsalves has been in office since March 2021 and will have served almost a quarter century in office by the time general elections are called.
Constitutionally, the polls must be held by February. 2026 but are widely expected by November 2025.
Leacock, like other political observers, has concluded that the PM wants to be succeeded by his son, the finance minister, who is into a second five-year term as MP for East St. George.
“So, what the hell St. Vincent is? It belongs to a single family that way horse reach donkey can’t reach?” Leacock said.
“We will allow that to happen to our St. Vincent and the Grenadines? We can’t allow that. Even if those who should be standing up for it don’t stand for decency, Largo height, Old Montrose, Sharpes and Green Hill, Paul’s Avenue, it’s only people like us and the New Democratic Party will think through how you deal with money management and manage capital projects like a hospital without being a burden on the people of St Vincent and the Grenadines.”
The Central Kingstown MP said more and more medical schools want to come to St. Vincent to open up universities and colleges.
He said these universities want access to hospitals as part of their training.
“In fact, they need the hospital more than we or as much as we do.
“Therefore, if they have that interest, and you have 4, 5, 6, of them and they want so bad to be here, let them take up 10%, 15% of the cost of the hospital. So, they own the hospital, they pay for the hospital, and we get the benefit of the hospital without the cost of the hospital being a saddle around the head and neck of the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” Leacock said.
“That’s common sense,” Leacock further stated and told residents of Largo Height, Green Hill and Redemption Sharpes, that he has fought long and hard to the point that he had gotten the government to commit to building a health centre in Central Kingstown.