Fellow Vincentians, let’s have an honest, informed conversation. The passionate speech against CBI is stirring — but it looks at the issue through a narrow lens, rooted in fear rather than fact. Let’s set emotions aside and look at reality.
1. CBI is not selling out — it’s buying in
To suggest that offering citizenship through investment is a betrayal of our ancestors is to ignore the evolving nature of nationhood and economics. We are not selling our identity. We are inviting vetted investors to buy into our development and become partners in our national growth.
Let’s not forget: the United States, Canada, the UK, and most of Europe have similar systems –“golden visas,” investor immigration, economic residency. It’s just branded differently. Are those nations “selling out”? Of course not. They’re using smart policy to attract wealth and talent.
2. Devaluing the passport? Or empowering the nation?
The claim that CBI weakens our passport assumes poor governance and zero due diligence. But the countries with reputable CBI programs (like St. Kitts, Dominica, Malta, etc.) have systems in place to prevent abuse. When managed responsibly, CBI doesn’t devalue the passport — it adds economic weight behind it. It enables stronger diplomacy, infrastructure development, and global relevance.
The worst way to protect our passport is to leave it backed by a weak economy.
3. Security risks are manageable — and already managed
CBI doesn’t automatically mean criminals are lining up to become citizens. Like any serious programme, due diligence is built-in. Interpol, World-Check, and independent vetting agencies are already used globally in such programmes.
If we trust our immigration officials to screen tourists, students, and workers, we can trust them to vet high-net-worth investors even more thoroughly. The “one bad apple” fear can be applied to any immigration policy, and yet the world still runs on global mobility.
4. Economic sustainability: CBI as a bridge, not a crutch
CBI isn’t the final solution — it’s a tool, one of many, for economic growth. When used wisely, it can fund critical infrastructure, education, healthcare, renewable energy, and entrepreneurial programmes that otherwise depend on high-interest loans or foreign aid.
What’s shaky is relying only on agriculture, tourism, and remittances. What’s smart is building a financial buffer while we diversify — CBI allows for that.
5. Corruption is a governance issue, not a CBI issue
Let’s be real: corruption exists in every system — whether we have CBI or not. The answer isn’t to reject opportunity, but to demand transparency. We need oversight, audits, public reporting — not fearmongering. If we trust ourselves to manage budgets and elections, we can manage a CBI programme with integrity.
Blaming the tool instead of fixing the system is lazy governance.
6. Division? Or inclusion?
CBI doesn’t divide us — it gives us options. Yes, some CBI citizens may never live here, but they still contribute financially and may become long-term allies, investors, or ambassadors for our country. Global citizenship is a reality of our time. Let’s not gatekeep our nationality as if it were frozen in the past.
We already welcome returning nationals with open arms even if they haven’t lived here in decades. Why not extend a carefully measured welcome to new citizens who help fund the progress we all want?
In conclusion
Vincentians are not naive. We understand the value of our nation and the seriousness of policy decisions. But strength lies in strategy, not stagnation.
CBI is not a moral failure — it’s an opportunity. If we design it with integrity, monitor it with vigilance, and invest its proceeds wisely, it can uplift our people and expand our possibilities.
Let’s move forward with courage, not fear.
Vincentian abroad
The opinions presented in this content belong to the author and may not necessarily reflect the perspectives or editorial stance of iWitness News. Opinion pieces can be submitted to [email protected].
I wish I knew who is the author of this piece. It is very well argued, with cogent reasoning. In particular, in calling for emotions to be checked and for clear thinking to apply, it calls for the conversation to be moved to a different level. Gonsalves had effectively created straw men by encasing the discussion in his appeal to this “intangible” notion of the “highest office of the land” (whatever that means) which then immediately moves the discussion out of the realms of logic and facts to one of nebulous fearmongering. ( ” Selling passport is a sin and God will punish you”).
We may recall that not too long ago Gonsalves was lamenting the fall in receipts to the revenue deriving from Aliens Landholding Licenses. I suppose that somwhere in his mind, the irredeemable disposal of of our physical land patrimony to non-nationals/non citizens, is acceptable, even when every acre so disposed of is an acre less for us, the nationals/citizens whom he has elevated to such levels of sanctity. Thre is much more that could be addressed along this line, but i will let that rest for now
Someone with sense, finally!
Every other Caribbean nation has a CBI program. Why is Ralph Gonsalves against CBI? Is this a form of control he is trying to exert? Lately, the new is flooded with news against implementing a CBI program. Even fake tan Donald Trump is doing it. “Come to America, If you are white, bring five million dollars and get a gold card.” What is Ralph Gonsalves up to?
ULP is going hard on spiritual Baptists in SVG. They are doing everything to win the simple people’s favor then after it back to normal for them.
This article is anther layer of ignorance and stupidly.
Slavery was legal and all the European countries was in it for economic gains research that if in doubt.
The only investment that is needed is investment in the people to position them to provide for themselves. Foreign direct investment keeps the populous hand to mouth. And looking jobs and hand outs.
FDI CBI undermines the independence of a nation. It is a lazy man approach similar to the reparation argument.
Yes, please. Let’s move forward with courage, not fear.
CBI is a two edged sword.
If a businessman comes to our country, invests ‘x’ in a new business that employs substantial numbers of Vincentians then I have no problem with him or her being rewarded by being given Citizenship.
On the other hand if someone just wants to pay whatever and the only time they’d have anything to do with us is when they come to collect the passport then I say no as, I my opinion, doing that is what would devalue what being a Vincention means.
The idea that a Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program is necessary to attract investors is a misleading narrative. The case of David Ames and Buccament Bay in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) clearly demonstrated that foreign investment can occur without a formal CBI framework. In fact, governments already have the sovereign ability to grant citizenship to investors after appropriate due diligence, without turning citizenship into a commodity.
Even if a new administration promotes a CBI program as a path to legitimate economic development, the global reality is far more dangerous. Formalizing such a program sends an open signal to the world—not just to reputable investors, but also to bad actors—that SVG is a new frontier for purchasing a coveted passport. While the government might price citizenship at $250,000 for legitimate applicants, it is naïve to assume that criminal networks—those who cannot pass traditional vetting—wouldn’t be willing to pay several times that amount to gain entry under an assumed identity.
Our region has already witnessed the darker side of these programs. Investigative journalists have caught officials on hidden cameras offering passports to shady individuals, bypassing controls that are supposed to protect national and international security. SVG cannot afford to open this door under the pretext of economic necessity.
Not long ago, the United States has named three Caribbean countries in the Corruption and Lack of Transparency in Government section of a Human Rights Report (see https://www.loopnews.com/content/us-report-cbi-programme-in-3-caribbean-countries-lack-transparency/).
According to the report, local media and the citizens of Dominica have described the sitting government as corrupt and also questioned the Citizenship by Investment Program.
“The law provides criminal penalties for corruption by officials, but the government implemented the law inconsistently,” the Human Rights Report said.
“According to civil society representatives and members of the opposition, officials sometimes engaged in corrupt practices with impunity.”
According to the report, local media and the leaders of the opposition continue to raise allegations of corruption within the government.
This corruption they say extends to the Citizenship by Investment Programme.
In response to the claims of impropriety, the Director of Dominica’s CBI programme Emmanuel Nathan said the concerns itemised in the report were based on unsubstantiated claims made by members of the opposition while no mention was made of specific grievances.
As such, he said, there was nothing worthy of comment.
Saint Kitts and Nevis and Antigua and Barbuda were also mentioned.
Interested persons can access citizenship in Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda for a minimum contribution of US$100 000.
The US report stated that a lack of transparency in Antigua and Barbuda’s CBI programme continues to fuel concerns about corruption.
Similar concerns were raised for Saint Kitts and Nevis.
“Citizens expressed concern about the lack of financial oversight of revenues generated by the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme. The government introduced security measures in 2018 to make the CBI process more transparent, and it began vetting investors. The government did not publicize the number of passports issued through CBI or the nationalities of the passport holders,” the report said about St. Kitts.
The minimum investment for St Kitts and Nevis’ CBI programme is US$150 000.
***
Government corruption has long been institutionalized in little SVG. A CBI programme would only enhance this corruption because only scamps would ever apply for citizenship if this scheme were enacted because there are so few honest ways to make big money in our economically challenged and corruption-friendly country.