Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Ralph Gonsalves has noted to Labourites in St. Lucia that that country has seen five prime ministers in the almost 23 years he has been in office.
He made the point on Sunday as he addressed the Conference of Delegates of the St. Lucia Labour Party, which is preparing to face the electorate, which has voted out the government in every general election since 2006.
“I have been prime minister with five prime ministers from St. Lucia, and I can speak commendably and more about Kenny and about Stephenson, and certainly about Philip,” said Gonsalves, who came to office in March 2001 and is preparing to ask the electorate for a sixth term in office for his Unity Labour Party (ULP), with him at the helm.
“Compton served only a short period in his third coming while I was prime minister. That is all I will say about the five prime ministers through which I have served,” he said.
Gonsalves had mentioned, by name, former prime ministers Kenny Anthony and Stevenson King and Philip J. Pierre, who is seeking a second term as prime minister of St. Lucia.
Anthony, King and Pierre were present at Sunday’s convention.
Gonsalves also said he was also in office “for another person whose name I wouldn’t really mention. You know who I’m talking about”.
He referring to Allen Chastanet, who was PM from 2016 to 2021, and whom Gonsalves later mentioned by name in his one-hour speech, firing a verbal “warning shot” at the St. Lucian opposition leader.
Chastanet is expected to lead the United Workers Party in its bid to unseat the Pierre administration.
“I have only been a political activist for 56 years, and I ain’t done yet,” said Gonsalves, 78, who has said he hopes to live to age 110 and to represent until 2030, North Central Windward the constituency for which he had been MP since 1994.
Gonsalves said he was “disappointed in the Labour family in 2007 in St. Lucia, saying they had “a very successful government under a most distinguished Prime Minister, Kenny Anthony, a titan of a leader, but you allow some space in your head, you want to look forward to the past.
“Compton come and tell you he going wuk a miracle that he could walk pon sea,” he said of the politician who came out of retirement at age 80 and defeated the Anthony government.
‘a warning shot’
The Vincentian leader said that the only man to walk on water was Peter, after seeing Jesus doing so.
“The choice ain’t between Philip Pierre and Jesus,” he said, adding that if that were the case, Pierre would “lose hands down.
“But the choice is between he and — let me call he name — Chastanet. And you know why you turned away from that?” Gonsalves said.
He said that some may say that he should not make that statement.
“Well, I saw a thing the other day he put he mouth in my own business. … And this is a warning shot. Keep your mouth out of my business. Keep your mouth out of my business. You know what I mean? Do way you want to do and do way you want to say, but keep your mouth out of me business.”
Gonsalves told St. Lucian Labourites that he knows some of them would “get swayed by critics”, adding that the credit belongs to “the man who is inside of the arena who has to face the problems and solve them…
“He’s the man who has, in communion with you, the responsibility,” Gonsalves further stated.
“If you in this period, and I repeat it, move away from the family, as some of you did with labour under Kenny in 2007, you will drink the cup of bitterness because it has happened before and it will happen again.”
Gonsalves said there are people who are “outside, who want to do certain things in St. Lucia, just like they want to do in St. Vincent than the Grenadines, they will pour a lot of money into Chastanet party.
“Remember the last time when he came? They say, ‘Well, this man got plenty money, and he know money. And he go bring money. Well, we’ve been through that already,” Gonsalves said.
He said critics of the Labour government in Castries would say that St. Lucia was a better place before July 26, 2021, when the Pierre administration was elected to office.
“Well, the reason why you change them so authoritatively is because you are overwhelmingly dissatisfied with what is happening there,” Gonsalves said, adding, “Stephenson King knows it well.”
King, who in 2007 replaced Compton as prime minister under the UWP, was elected as an independent candidate in July 2021 but has been appointed a senior minister and minister for infrastructure, ports, transport, physical development, and urban renewal in Pierre’s government.
Gonsalves said:
“You have a man chosen by the founding father of the UWP, a faithful son of that party, and from the time he got the leadership, different forces allied to the local bourgeoisie and certain foreign elements — I don’t know about Stevenson King, if is because where he come from or where — they start to hold on to he trousers foot like a rabid dog, and pull him and pull him and pull him. The poor man can’t function. You know that better than I do.”
‘complicated and dangerous period’
Gonsalves said that in “this complicated and dangerous period we have any special responsibility” to keep labour in office in places like SVG and St. Lucia.
He suggested that being part of a Labour family means not complaining publicly about grievances with the government.
“And what the Labour family cannot say that if they don’t get two sheet ah galvanize in time, if me daughter ain’t get the job wah they think they should get that you start to fuss and cuss and carry on. ‘Me nah not vote again’,” he said, echoing sentiments he has expressed at home in SVG.
Gonsalves said that he went to the convention to give his knowledge and experience, adding that he is the longest-serving prime minister in any government in the region.
“As a young man, I was a rebel, because there was, from the time I was a youth, a lot to be rebellious about. I’m now an old man, but I’m still a rebel, and I cannot stop being a rebel, because there are many things still to rebel about,” he told St. Lucian Labourites.
“Although we have made immense progress in our Caribbean civilisation, there are things which we still need to address,” Gonsalves said.
The Vincentian leader, who has said he has “the youngest head” in Parliament, was accompanied by three of his senators: Ashelle Morgan, who is also deputy speaker of the House of Assembly; Benarva Browne, minister of urban development and ports; and, Shackell Bobb, parliamentary secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister.
Ralph Gonsalves has no business going to St. Lucia and telling St. Lucians what to do. […] We paying the most taxes in the region. We paying the highest electricity bills in the region. We living the most without water. We have to pay tax on salt. We have the highest crime rate in the region. We have almost 50% unemployment in the region. All our smart people have left for North America cause you don’t stand a chance under his administration unless you vote for him. His favorite leaders are all communist dictators and oppressors. He can’t be trusted to do the right thing. He want to stay in power at any cost.
Labour family, my baxide. Word salad. Meaningless. Try ‘cult’
So, is having had 5 prime ministers a bod thing? What’s the downside? Perhaps having had 5 prime ministers is because the electorate in St. Lucia is less-than-sheeplike, un-comatose, engaged, unafraid, intelligent, not slow and constantly evaluating their decisions in a dynamic way. And here you are, suggesting to people how they should think and how they ought to perceive you… cha!
Gonsalves notes St. Lucia had 5 PMs since he came to office
Yo mean without any shame ???
It was only a couple weeks ago that someone was saying that st.vincent was 30 years behind st.lucia ,this man who is now beating his chest, how many years has he been in charge ? ask him please to explain what was the crime rate when he took over ? then beat your chest and explain how we got to this miserable and murderous point in our history and who is responsible ,who is to blame ? ( tell is just what you did about it ) those are the things we want to hear the truth about and madoro role in our country’s affairs
The Red Herring Will Not Change “Reality”
“Proverbs 16:18 ”Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” It is a warning against the dangers of pride and arrogance which can lead to negative consequences, physically and spiritually.
Mr. Prime Minister, the red herring will not change ‘Reality” ST. Lucia is far more Develop that SVG, since in days of Sir Compton, Sir James Michele and Compton had vision for sister lands, working together, Since than SVG take nose dive because you pursuit a socialist platform, Government control.
Socialism as it strength and weakness as so capitalism, Small Islands and country that feast on external help cannot develop under socialistic views that why ST. Lucia is so advance because those who had socialist leaning in ST. Lucia was voted out, and that is some of the reason for change in leadership
Many of St.Lucia beautiful building and designs was by done by Vincentian.
Mr. Prime Minister please go and see for yourself, Take a tour in Castries, and go down to Piton Mountain areas, Where the hotels and water front is develop, go down to The Water works Area, and look at the transformative of those places . This writer did live in ST. Lucia for some time, I can say to you stop beating a dead horse.
The salary scale in St. Lucia is higher, Two International airport, Two international Sea port, View Fort town, the second town, that we see from Windward side of SVG, is more develop that Kingstown, and Georgetown is like garbage dump, compare to View fort, and inter-section is far more advance than SVG
ST. Lucia daily Air flight, tells, of it Tourism capacity, and yacht services is still running, many that left SVG because of your high tariffs (Steven Yacht ) was first to go.
Five different leaders, they all contribute to all of ST. Lucia developments.
Another Country that on verge of passing us is Dominica. Stay tune.
Can someone tell this old man that serving country and people is not counted by how many years you sit on your hands and watch the world go by and the people suffer ,one election was fairly won and every trick in the book was used to keep him there ,remember kenny anthony who came from the same st.lucia to campain for him ? or moduro who also came to campain then went back and sent the three men with boxes that no one can touch ,the same men that tried to enter kenya during their elections and was promptly arrested ?ralph should look at the work and effort put in by outstanding men who help to shape this country before he wreck it , E.T.J ; Cato and the one who sell us out to him Mitchell but ralph made sure that we are at the bottom of the proverbial pit second only to haiti , just imagine 5 prime ministers in a land that is almost the same as ours and they are about 30 years ahead but while ralph and his gang carry the blunt of the blame never forget the vincentian people themselves a country of selfish cowards that only seek a belly full for themselves today and begrudge their neighbors for anything that they may have more than them but then again they are vincentians “they like it so”
IWN, (the people’s newspaper) going soft on ULP/PM Gonsalves?
Hey love that. This one certainly mash up world boss. Facts must b told in d face of deception. Longest serving PM and nothing of substance to show. Waste of SVG time and money
What does Gonsalves speech say about the state of democracy in St. Lucia v St. Vincent? Does it mean that St. Vincent has an absolute monarchy instead of a democracy?
That statement represents that the electorate in St. Lucia have enough sense to know that the power of government lies with them as the voters.
Who have the power to hire and fire politian so the have do so and for that is thirty years ahead of st.vincent and the grenadines. Whohas the same person there up to today.
an how many ah dem 5 years yo teef rig? is it 4 ? some good day we will know the truth, for what’s in darkness will come to light and whats hidden will be exposed. it will be a very exciting day.