By Kenrick Quashie
St. Vincent and the Grenadines continues to be governed without the most basic safeguards against corruption. No Integrity in Public Life Act. No Freedom of Information Act. No meaningful accountability mechanism for those who hold power.
This is a deliberate failure by our leaders. And it tells us everything we need to know about how the current administration views power, transparency, and the Vincentian people.
For 25 years, Dr. Gonsalves and the ULP have enjoyed an unbroken streak in government. Gonsalves’ political dominance has brought opacity, fear, and impunity.
The absence of integrity legislation means that ministers and senior officials are not legally required to declare their assets and liabilities. The absence of a Freedom of Information Act means that citizens, journalists, and civil society cannot access government contracts, procurement records, or decisions made with public funds. Instead, the people’s business has become the government’s secret.
It is virtually impossible to govern transparently under such conditions. Power that goes unchecked for so long inevitably breeds corruption, whether through the direct abuse of office, the manipulation of contracts, or the quiet favouritism that rewards friends and punishes critics.
It’s worth remembering that Gonsalves and the ULP promised both pieces of legislation: Integrity in Public Life and Freedom of Information. Two decades later, those promises remain unfulfilled.
As a matter of fact, a draft of the Integrity legislation was published when the ULP was in opposition. The Integrity Legislation was supposed to be implemented in the first 100 days of the ULP’s first term back in 2001.
Meanwhile, the Freedom of Information Act was taken to Parliament, debated and passed but was never sent to the governor general’s desk to be signed. Gonsalves has refused for over two decades to instruct the governor general to sign the law into effect. This is a deliberate act by Gonsalves to avoid oversight. This is no delay; it is design. A government that fears scrutiny will always find reasons to stall.
After 25 years of governance and unchecked powers by Gonsalves and the ULP, it is clear that their secrecy is a survival strategy. Change of government in SVG is a necessity. No nation can develop sustainably when it normalises secrecy.
The NDP government must prioritise transparency legislation within its first year when it wins the upcoming general elections. It must not do so as a symbolic gesture, but as a foundation for rebuilding trust. Every Vincentian, regardless of political colour, should demand this!
Accountability is not partisan. It is patriotic. Integrity in public office should not depend on who holds power; it should be built into the system itself.
After 25 years of Gonsalves’ grip on power, we must ask ourselves:
- Why does a government so long in office still resist transparency?
- What are they afraid the people might find out?
- And how much longer can we afford to look away?
This type of power without accountability corrupts the national conscience. For the sake of our children and the integrity of our beloved SVG, this must end in 2025. Let us elect leadership that is not afraid of the light. Let us demand integrity, transparency, and truth.
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Well said. This has always been a necessity in a democracy. Governing has to be for the people. Accountability to ensure fairness and the elected is working for the people is necessary.