Prime Minister Godwin Friday says there has been no communication between him and the former office holder, Ralph Gonsalves, whose Unity Labour Party administration was voted out of office on Nov. 27.
“There’s been no communication. I mean, it’s been like that for a long time but I’m still hopeful that there will be, because the things of government, of state, that we need to have the input of the former administration on,” the new head of government told the media on Monday as he arrived at the Administrative Complex, where his office is located.
Gonsalves has refused to speak to Friday since August 2021, when the then-prime minister suffered an injury to the head while walking among protesters in Kingstown.
He blamed the then-opposition leader for the injury, an accusation that Friday has rejected.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Friday noted that the government is not reinvented when a new administration is elected.
“It’s a continuity. I’ve said that all along. It’s a baton. You’re passing it from one administration to another but it’s the same baton,” he said.
“So, we need to have that conversation as to how we can be more effective and not be simply treating it as though somehow there’s some great divide between the past and the present,” the prime minister said.
“We are the new administration going forward, the previous administration, as was done, I know when Sir James’ administration was first voted out, and it happens everywhere there is need for continuity. So, I’m still hopeful that that will happen,” Friday said.
Former prime minister, the late Sir James Mitchell had said that after the New Democratic Party (NDP) administration was voted out of office in March 2001, he met with Gonsalves and urged him to focus on getting the European Union to lift the ban on the export of Vincentian seafood to the bloc, among other things.
Gonsalves was the only member of his Unity Labour Party to win a seat in the Nov. 27 election.
On Saturday, he made his first public comments since his electoral defeat and announced that he will take up his post as leader of the opposition in the next parliament.
“On a personal note, I expect that as a former prime minister, especially one of many years of service, that I shall be accorded all the usual courtesies and privileges attendant upon the former holders of this high office in St. Vincent and the Grenadines consonant with the practices of civilised nations,” he said on on Star Radio, his party’s radio station.
Friday said that he had heard Gonsalves’ comments, adding that the former prime minister would have to explain what he meant by them.
“I’ve been the leader of the opposition. There were no courtesies, really, other than the office staff that we have had,” the prime minister said.
“But certainly, the past doesn’t predict what happens in the future. My plan is to ensure that we have proper administration, proper respect for the offices of state.
“The Office of the Leader of the Opposition is not a creation of a political party. It’s a constitutional position. So, it requires certain resources, a level of respect and what is necessary for it to function as an arm of the broader government of St. Vincent and Grenadines. So that’s how I’ll approach it.”
The election outcome has clearly shifted the political landscape. Following a significant electoral defeat, former Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves has begun to publicly critique and challenge the policies of the new administration. This move was widely anticipated, particularly given his previous, unyielding political rhetoric.
If Mr. Gonsalves chooses a path of non-cooperation, the government appears prepared to pursue legal avenues to address any disputes. The administration is also signaling its readiness to advance its agenda independently, without reliance on opposition support.
How can Ralph ask for this kind of treatment when he refuses to accept his defeat and speak to the new Prime Minister? He never treated the opposition they way he’s asking to be treated. Friday should and must ignore Ralph until he gets on his knees and say, “YOU WIN”.
Wishful thinking. The Comrade is suffering from withdrawal syndrome and needs psychological intervention.