Former ardent supporter of the ruling Unity Labour Party, Ras John, has mounted the platform of the opposition New Democratic Party, urging voters to boot out the Ralph Gonsalves administration.
Ras John, a landscaper whose given name is Aster John, portrayed the prime minister as emotionally manipulative and seeking to determine how much citizens can accomplish.
He urged the youth to vote for a St. Vincent and the Grenadines, where they can remain and working, building homes with the monies that they would have paid in rent in other Caribbean islands, such as Tortola and Antigua.
In recent weeks, Ras John has been public in his criticism of the ULP administration.
However, unlike the lead up to the 2020 vote, this year he has taken to the media and mounted the opposition platform to advance his case against the ULP.
Speaking at an opposiiton New Democratic Party (NDP) campaign event in Sion Hill, John noted that St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a beautiful country, adding “and we employ the ULP for the last 25 years –that’s a lot of years.
“I employ them because, in life, you have to do changes,” John said, acknowledging his previous support for the ULP, with which he had joined to unseat the NDP in the 2001 election and to keep them out of office since then.
“If you’re not performing for taxpayers, we change you because a lot of we have to understand that when we hire these guys, they are not our bosses, they are our servants, they are here to serve us,” John said.
“And if you are not performing, sorry, you gotta go. So, Mr. Comrade, the writing is on the wall. The time is up. You are expired. You could bawl, you could groan, you have to go,” he said, referring to Gonsalves.
“I hear they throwing some words, saying now I want too much. Who is you to set a standard for me and tell me what I deserve?” John said.
“Hello? Can you tell Storm that?” he further stated, referring to the prime minister’s younger son.
He noted that in the lead up to the 2020 vote, the prime minister has said that his wife was ill and at risk of paralysis.
John, however, expressed doubt about the prime minister’s account of his wife’s condition, suggesting that Gonsalves had mentioned it for political sympathy.
“Because you don’t want to leave. I don’t know why you want die there? Go home up ah Gorse and dead up there in peace, please,” John said, referring to the North Central Windward community where the prime minister’s private residence is located.
“Stay home with your grand pickney ah dem. Tek care ah dem up there. Leave our prime minister’s office in peace,” he urged Gonsalves, 79, who says he has 10 grandchildren.
“You say you want two term, you done get five, you still wah more. Ah lickrish you lickrish so? And you ah call somebody greedy? You done get five terms and you still ah call people greedy, and then you have some little cult member, I so sorry for them with some little low-income houses and praising you for that.”
The ULP administration has built hundreds of low income houses across the country under a programme in which the people take loans from banks and the government builds houses for them on land subsidised by the government.
“I grew up in an environment where agriculture was the boss; we walking down by Silkie, Coreas, Veira, we buying we things them cash, we ain’t going line up and beg and bow for our own things,” he said mentioning major businesses in Kingstown.
“We work for what we want. And I thought when we hire you, you say you going make St. Vincent a better place, I never knew he was a tricker…” John said, adding that he had forgotten that Gonsalves is a lawyer.
“So I shoulda expect better but I give you a chance, but because I know I hire you and I can fire you, but I don’t know why the people them tek so long to get rid ah you. I don’t know why.”
John said getting rid of the Gonsalves administration is easy and all that is needed is for the people to vote against the ULP.
“So don’t sit back and say how NDP ain’t doing nothing. NDP can’t do nothing right now,” he said, noting that Opposition Leader Godwin Friday, each opposition candidate and every other elector only has one vote.
“Use your one ‘x’ and let we get rid of the man because the man is humbugging our progress,” he said, referring to Gonsalves.
“When I look at the man depreciating my country, make all my brothers and sisters gone to foreign, make farmers turn security guard and watchman and this man still nah wah give up, I want to know what happen to my people,” he said.
“So, especially the younger youths them, I’m talking to the younger youths them because a lot of young people say they’re not voting. This is your country. This is your future. You don’t want to go to Tortola and Antigua to turn security guard and be second-class citizen … The rent you going to pay over there, work here and build your own mansion,” John said.
“I heard them children could buy mansion Miami and all over the place. You want your own here. You born here,” he said.
Recently, it emerged that a house in Miami was sold to one “Storm Gonsalves” for US$500,000. There has been some discussion about the purchase but it is not clear whether that “Storm Gonsalves” is the prime minister’s son or another person.
“You want to give us low-income houses with your disrespectful self. Well, we are not lame; we are very creative, we are hardworking, we’re smart, but you trying to tell us with your Willie Lynch plan how we want too much”
The Willie Lynch reference points to a speech said to be given in the year 1712 by a slave owner who allegedly described tactics to psychologically control enslaved Africans.
“You alone want things, you and our family? This is not your daddy estate. This is not your father estate, mister. You are employed by the people. And I am hoping and praying that this election, we must beat you so bad, you must lose your seat and all…
“You have done enough damage in this country that we should just go to the polls full speed and just you hear results, Saboto Caesar, 2 — you know that ah two poor relief person; Ralph Gonsalves, 4, you know that ah four old persons.
“You should not get back your deposit,” he said, adding that this should be the case with all ULP candidates.
“You all have done too much damage to my country, my brother,” he said.
John said that someone had told him recently that the next election would be tight.
“I say, ‘Where you from? You’re not from St Vincent? Road nah good, crime rate ridiculous, agriculture dead, health care –” he said, adding that someone recently complained to him about the situation at the hospital.
“… One bathroom for 25 people. No soap to wash your hands. Cardboard box chocking up bed and you still jumping up – we must’nt grumble?”
As he had said during the lead up to the 2020 vote, Gonsalves recently told his supporters to shelve their discontent with his administration until after the election.
“You ain’t see this man needs some serious counselling. But you will get counselling after election. Home me ah send yo. Straight up ah Gorse,” John said.
“So please, … young men, young women, go out and vote. The voting is important. Everyone count,” he said, noting that North Leeward MP Carlos James won his seat in 2020 by one vote.
No amount ah water cud out dis fire ras John start . As Saluche would say “u have to clap fo dat”
I was hoping that NDP would have a more strategically focused message at this stage. What is it that you would do differently to reduce unemployment, address violent crimes, improve Healthcare, infrastructure, Education, boost economic growth and atract foreign direct investment?
Tell who ever John he is […] he is living but he is blind dum and deft just pepear for what is to come and go by one of the funeral home order a house to hide him self for ever and ever armen six in they face at this time
RALPH DUMB ADVICE to shelve discontent until after the election. If he’s not listening now to those problems why would he listen to them after the election?