Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves says he would prefer that there be no election to select his successor as political leader of the Unity Labour Party (ULP), noting the fracture caused by the first and only leadership transition in the 31-year-old party.
Gonsalves, 79, who has been promising a leadership transition for the last 15 years, expressed his opinion on Boom FM on Monday, even as he repeatedly sidestepped a question about his preferred successor.
The ULP was formed in 1994 as a merger of the St. Vincent Labour Party and the Movement for National Unity, a fringe party led by Gonsalves.
Sir Vincent Beache led the ULP from its founding until December 1998.
On Monday, Gonsalves gave his version of what happened in 1998, when he replaced Sir Vincent.
“After Sir Vincent decided to retire as leader of the party in October — he decided to retire in December, the day after, I called Stalky [John] to come and see me at Frenches. I said, ‘Stalky, I know you’d be running for the leadership of the party. I’m running also, but comrade, there’s no way you could win. I’ll beat you going and coming.
“… ‘to avoid any division in the party. You put yourself up as deputy leader; we’ll have a no contest for leader and none for deputy leader’,” Gonsalves said.
He said John asked why him (Gonsalves) why he did not seek to become the deputy leader.
“I said, ‘Jesus, Lord, Stalk. You want me go against the interest of the whole party?’ So he and I contested, and he was thoroughly defeated. And Ken Boyea, of blessed memory, became the deputy leader unopposed.”
He said that he is hoping to avoid a similar situation when it is time to transition to a new leader of the ULP.
“Now I am hoping that when the occasion arises that, even though you can have a contest, but the persons who may be interested they can resolve the issue between themselves as to who should go forward …”
Asked whom he would like to see emerge as the next leader of the ULP, Gonsalves said, “I like all of them equally.
“… you want for me to tell you something which doesn’t enter my mind.”
The prime minister’s 53-year-old son, East St. George MP, Camillo Gonsalves, who is also minister of finance, had long been considered the heir apparent to his father.
However, pundits say that Gonsalves appeared not to be able to rally the party in support of the finance minister as Minister of Agriculture and South Central Windward MP, Saboto Caesar, 44, also commands a strong following.
Asked if he would prefer his son to succeed him, Gonsalves said, “Sabyi is my son. Carlos is my son. Camilo, Orando is my son,” the prime minister said.
He tossed into the mix, Central Leeward MP Orando Brewster, who is seeking a second five-year term after winning by 503 votes in 2020, and Carlos James, who won the North Leeward seat on his second attempt by one vote after a contentious recount.
“Each of these persons could handle the job,” Gonsalves said.
“I have been training, educating and helping to mould the following persons, all of them who could succeed me: Saboto, Camillo, Carlos, Orando, and then, of course, persons who don’t have any seat yet, like, for instance, Keisal, you notice how she’s growing.”
Keisal Peters, a senator in the last Parliament, created history by becoming the first female minister of foreign affairs and is now serving as minister of national mobilisation.
She will contest the West Kingstown seat against Daniel Cummings of the New Democratic Party, who has been representing that constituency since 2010.
Gonsalves said:
“… and the thing in politics over the next — let us say, Keisal wins her seat, Grace wins her seat … there might be a mood in the party to propel a woman, the first woman.”
Grace Walters, the hospital administrator and first-time candidate, is making a bid to retain North Windward for the ULP.
She will come up against the NDP’s Shevern John, a senator in the last parliament, who is making her second attempt at victory.
For the first time since its formation, the ULP is facing the electorate without a deputy leader on the ballot, as North Windward MP, Montgomery Daniel, 71, is not seeking re-election.
The ULP was to have elected a new deputy leader at its last national convention in July 2022.
However, Daniel was returned as deputy political leader, amidst what political observers have said was Gonsalves’ inability to get the majority of party members to coalesce around any one individual.
During the convention, some party supporters shouted “Caesar! Caesar!” as Gonsalves entered the auditorium at Campden Park Secondary School, indicating their support for the South Central Windward MP.
The development appeared to have rattled the prime minister, who went on stage and appeared to be remonstrating with Caesar.
In fact, Gonsalves is still at the helm of the ULP, although saying in his “LETTER FROM THE POLITICAL LEADER” in the party’s 2020 election manifesto:
“I offer myself to lead our nation again for this last time.”
The issue of leadership succession in the ULP is in focus as it prepares to seek a sixth consecutive term in office in the Nov. 27 general election.
Of course he would 🙄
Ralph (Papa Doc) never wanted Saboto to become the leader of the ULP. That’s why he moved him from the popular Tourism ministry to a dead end Agriculture ministry which he and Francis disregarded as an entity that can and should benefit many independent Vincentians. They still push Tourism as the main bread and butter entities to generate jobs.
This is the reason why SANDALS is now showing pictures of a new project at Mt.Wynne, just before the election. SANDALS is hiring HOUSE NIGGERS who make very little money to support their families. Meanwhile crime has increased considerably because little or no employment for the young people in SVG.
Ralph knows that Caesar would be the one a majority of ULP supporters will select to become the leader and that’s why he wants the others to get together to select Baby Doc. He has been avoiding naming a deputy leader for years because he doesn’t like Saboto. This could be the end of the ULP because Caesar should stand up and demand he becomes the leader or join the NDP.