Cricket, corruption, and the collapse of LIAT: Why it’s time to liberate SVG

In one of his many marathon press conferences on Friday, Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves said, “Cricket in the Caribbean has been an instrument of national liberation.” And on that, we agree. Sort of. Because what’s needed in St. Vincent and the Grenadines today isn’t just a better cricket team in the West Indies. What’s needed is that same instrument of national liberation, not in sport, but in politics, economics, and consciousness.

The time has come to liberate SVG from the two-decade grip of the Unity Labour Party (ULP). To do that, the people must undertake both political and civil action, rooted in courage, unity, and clarity of vision.

But before we get to the blueprint for change, let’s clear the air.

Targeted and unjust: the blame game against Shallow

In recent months, has made it his mission to place the weight of West Indies cricket’s struggles on the shoulders of Dr. Kishore Shallow, president of Cricket West Indies and the newly selected New Democratic Party (NDP) candidate for North Leeward.

Every time the team falters, Gonsalves pounces with sarcasm, sideways comments, and a kind of political venom that’s hard to miss. It’s not about cricket. It’s about power and fear.

Fear of a capable, rising NDP candidate.

Fear of a shift in momentum.

Fear that someone with credibility and vision might challenge the iron grip Gonsalves has maintained for over 20 years.

Let’s set the record straight: Shallow is not a selector, not the coach, and certainly not a miracle worker who can undo decades of underinvestment, regional conflict, and boardroom dysfunction in 18 months. He leads Cricket West Indies at the governance level, not the dressing room. His role is structural and strategic, not tactical. And unlike the prime minister, who has his hand in every pot and press briefing, Shallow doesn’t claim to run “everything”. He builds systems, not cults of personality.

The hypocrisy of the prime minister: What about LIAT?

If Gonsalves wants to talk leadership and accountability, he needs to take a long look in the mirror, starting with LIAT, the regional airline that collapsed under his direct watch.

For years, LIAT was the only affordable and reliable connection between the Eastern Caribbean’s scattered islands. It wasn’t just an airline, it was a lifeline for students, traders, patients, and everyday families.

As one of LIAT’s largest shareholders, the Government of SVG under Gonsalves’ leadership had significant power in its operations, funding, and appointments. In fact, Gonsalves was chairman of the shareholder governments, giving him a central role in the airline’s management and long-term direction.

And yet, LIAT (1974 Ltd) collapsed. Planes were grounded. Workers were laid off without pay. People were stranded. The dream of Caribbean integration through airlift was shattered.

What did the prime minister do? He blamed the pandemic. He blamed other governments. He claimed he tried everything. But what he didn’t do was accept responsibility, not for:

• Political interference in appointments,
• Failure to modernise the fleet or systems,
• Years of unsustainable financial practices, or
• Lack of strategic foresight.

And he certainly didn’t host a “marathon” press conference apologising for it. The double standard is glaring: blame Shallow for a cricket team’s poor form, while taking zero ownership for the death of a regional airline he helped run into the ground.

The real conversation: liberation beyond cricket

Let’s now return to the prime minister’s quote: “Cricket was an instrument of national liberation.” We say: Now is the time to wield the instrument of political liberation. That means not just waiting for elections but actively engaging in a process of transformation — mental, political, and cultural.

Here’s how that liberation can happen, practically and powerfully:

1. Mental and psychological liberation

Free the mind, and the vote will follow.

• For years, Vincentians have been conditioned to believe that the ULP is the only party capable of leadership. That’s a myth.
• People are often told that questioning the government will cost them their job, their land, or their child’s scholarship. That’s not democracy, that’s intimidation.
• The first step in liberation is believing in the power to choose differently.
• A free mind doesn’t accept handouts as progress. A free mind sees through ribbon-cuttings with no substance. A free mind dares to say, “We deserve better.”

2. Strategic voting

Power does not concede without demand or a ballot.

• SVG has been ruled by one party for over two decades. That’s not stability, it’s stagnation.
• Strategic voting means casting your ballot not just against the ULP, but for vision, competence, and integrity.
• It means ending dynastic politics. It means choosing servants of the people, not rulers over them.

3. Raise consciousness across the country

It’s not enough to be angry; you must also be organised.

• Liberation doesn’t happen in silence, although I understand your fear of victimisation.
• Host community meetings, social media campaigns, town halls, whatever it takes to educate and awaken.

Talk about:


• The real story behind LIAT’s collapse.
• The state of healthcare and education.
• High unemployment rate
• Lack of accountability within government
• The number of dilapidated police stations across SVG under the ULP
• Lack of meaningful employment
• Do you know your blood group? Does it matter? Why/Why not?
• How much convictions have we had for all the murders over the past 5 years?
• The misuse of police force and the politicisation of public offices and sporting facilities.
• The fear culture that keeps people “quiet but vexed”
• Use every platform: WhatsApp groups, Telegram, domino tables, church halls, youth fora; turn every space into a classroom of truth.

4. Expose and reject corruption and fear tactics

When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.

• Speak out against the threats, victimisation, and selective handouts.
• Demand transparency in how government contracts, lands, and grants are distributed.
• Support journalists, whistle blowers, and lawyers who protect citizens and expose abuse.
• It’s time to stop calling it “just politics.” No! It’s oppression.

5. build unity beyond party lines

The liberation of a country is not the victory of one party: it’s the unity of its people.

• This is bigger than red vs yellow. This is about the heart and soul of a nation.
• Include youth, women, diaspora, unions, small farmers, civil servants. Even fed-up ULP supporters who are ready for change especially those who haven’t been paid for months but holding on in hope.
• Don’t just switch loyalty, demand vision.
• Choose leaders who listen, not those who lecture.

6. Demand structural reform

Real freedom is not changing drivers on the “gravy train” in the same broken carriage.

• Liberation is not just about replacing a party; it’s about changing the system.

Demand:


• Electoral reform with independent oversight.
• Term limits for Prime Ministers.
• Judicial independence.
• Police reform and civilian oversight.
• A free press without fear of lawsuits or interference.

7. Stay vigilant—even after ULP is gone

Liberation is not an event. It’s a process.

• Removing ULP isn’t the final goal, it’s just the beginning.
• If the NDP or any future party fails the people, they too must go.
• Build a culture of accountability, where no leader is untouchable and no citizen is voiceless.

Time to stop surviving and start thriving

Vincentians must stop simply surviving; we must begin thriving. Liberation from the ruling party means more than just voting them out, it means building a country where:

• No government is worshipped,
• No party owns the people,
• And every citizen knows: “My vote, my voice, my value can’t be bought or silenced.”

The prime minister’s attempts to distract, deflect, and discredit opponents, like Shallow are symptoms of a regime that knows its time is almost up. Because when you have to attack a cricket board president for a team’s batting average, instead of explaining and or addressing why LIAT crashed under your leadership, along with the high level of unsolved murders, high level of unemployment, lack of medication in the hospitals, highest level of cost of living in the eastern Caribbean etc. It means you’ve run out of real answers.

The people of SVG deserve better than finger-pointing, distraction, and dictatorship by press conference.

We deserve truth. We deserve vision. We deserve leaders who lift people, not suppress them.

Let’s not wait for the next match or flight to wake up.

The time for national liberation is NOW! The time for emancipating ourselves from the ULP is NOW! Ring the bell.

Vincentian abroad 

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