Gonsalves says former supporter Ras John on Chinese payroll 

Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves has suggested that Ras John, one of his former prominent supporters who is now campaigning against the ruling Unity Labour Party (ULP), is among those “eating Chinese take-away and Indian cuisine from the dreamers”.

Gonsalves has been using the term “eating Chinese takeaway” to refer to people, including media workers and his political opponents, who he has repeatedly claimed, without providing any evidence, are on the payroll of China.

Ras John, whose real name is Aster John, is a prominent personality from South Central Windward, who, in August, told his MP Agriculture Minister Saboto Caesar, at a public consultation, that he should be ashamed of himself. 

“Our country is badly managed by the regime. Agriculture is gone, totally. Saboto know that,” John said in a presentation that went viral on social media. 

“And it is very difficult for us to bring back agriculture under this management because this management wah  we import everything, turn our agricultural land into like, quarries, giving way to tourists, like our top farm marijuana industry, give it to the white people … and the traditional farmers gone down to jail. It is ridiculous,” John said.

Caesar told John that they were not having a political meeting, adding, “So leh we nah take it to that level.”

John complained about the state of feeder roads in the country as well as praedial larceny.

“It is terrible, man,” John said, adding that he was glad that Caesar was present.

“So I only hope he could take back the message to his master and tell he master they’re doing a terrible job,” John said.

He further fleshed out his grievances with the ULP and its management of the agricultural sector during an appearance on Boom FM’s “OMG”.

Since then, John has mounted the platform of the opposition New Democratic Party at the invitation of East Kingstown MP, Fitz Bramble. 

Gonsalves responded to John on NBC Radio as he announced improved performance of the National Insurance Service during the first six months of this year

“By the way, in what they will do, what I just said, those who are eating Chinese take away and Indian cuisine from the dreamers, they’ll say, unemployment gone up 40%, youth employment gone to 50%,” the prime minister said.

 “They have decided that they are going to recruit influencers. Who’s their biggest influential recruit? They get an influential one named Ras John — Sabi constituency.

“Get half an hour on Bing Joseph radio station — I’m talking about those who eating plenty Chinese takeaways and those who having  Indian cuisine from the dreamers of India — passport-selling people and those who want to move from Taiwan to China to mainland China, in the same boat, all of them, they walk in conspiracy with one another.”

Since 2016, the NDP has announced that if elected to office, it would switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China.

Gonsalves has repeatedly criticised the NDP for its pro-China stance even as he has said that the increasing number of loans his government gets from Taiwan represents a “hook in the gill” of anyone wanting to break Kingstown-Taipei ties.

“Now, they paid $3,700 to put Ras John to go on Bing radio for that one. I know from dealing with Ras John, that Ras John love money. So I expect Ras John will get some money. So if he nah geh money, he more dotish than I think,” said Gonsalves, who repeatedly resorts to personal insults of his critics and former supporters. 

“I think he geh some money. But the law firm, a short man and his woman who fronting for the Chinese — there are people inside of the NDP, too. He’s not a member of the NDP because he hate Ralph so much because Ralph know something that he doesn’t want people to know. 

“And I ain’t go say it yet. I don’t know if I will say it. A short man, I don’t know if he has a wannabe Napoleon complex. I don’t know. He’s the man who sent the cheque. And I know he getting pay, too. The programme on which he appears on radio, the Chinese takeaway crowd pay for it, you know, like clockwork. I want people to know this,” said Gonsalves, again, without any evidence of his allegations and insinuations. 

SVG is in campaign mode ahead of general elections widely expected by November, ahead of the February 2026 constitutional deadline.

Gonsalves said the ULP has provided the people of SVG with political stability and economic progress, social equity and inclusiveness.

“And we are on the path; we are at the high tier, the top tier of the high level of human development, according to the United Nations Development Program.”

He said his government is “on the move to have a first-world nation in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and I’m putting the pieces together for that. 

“They will cuss me ever more, and they’ll say terrible things about me, but to quote James Mitchell, ‘Dirty water can’t tarnish gold.’ I love that expression; first time I hear it,” he said.

Sir James, a former prime minister, had used the term in response to Luke Browne, who will this year make his fourth attempt to win East Kingstown when Browne had pointed to some typographical errors in one of Sir James’ books.