ULP X  NDP X  SVG ✓

By *Christina Katrina Smith 

SVG Lady Heat had a tough CONCACAF qualifier match against Mexico over the weekend. The final score, 14-0, was a humiliating defeat, no doubt, but it could have been worse.

They could have made the same blunder which the Unity Labour Party (ULP) did in the general elections a few days earlier — the embarrassment of an own goal.

Even before the Nov. 27 date was announced, St. Vincent and the Grenadines was under a heavy election spell with the slogans “Yellow is de Code” and “Labour Working Fuh We” weaving their way into every nook and cranny of online posts, radio shows and daily conversations.

Not even the general elections in Jamaica or Trinidad and Tobago or St. Lucia garnered as much interest from the region as SVG’s decision day. Regional brothers and sisters were following every twist and turn (see Doubles and Coffee) and Vincentians in the diaspora mounted relentless campaigns to urge citizens at home to go out and vote.

This was referred to as the “mother” of all elections, with perhaps only the 2001 general election, which brought the red party out of the shadow of opposition, rivalling it as the most nation-captivating election in the last two decades.

Two things emerged as truths in the recently concluded election — the New Democratic Party (NDP) ran a stellar campaign (note campaign funding questions) and the messaging from the ULP chased many away, perhaps even their own supporters.

The NDP’s strategy of proposal-first and commess-after (see Dr Shallow’s briefcase) placed them head and shoulders above their opponents and was no doubt a central reason in the shift which resulted in their 14-1 victory.

On the other hand, the ULP’s campaign to secure a sixth term in office was severely lacking in substance and proved to be out of touch with the electorate. You did not have to listen to every village meeting and rally to conclude that the ULP scored a goal in their own net and easily handed the win over to the other side. They beat themselves in this election through excessive fear-mongering, eyebrow-raising stories later debunked as untruths and by far the most concerning, attempts to incite violence toward the opposing side.

The last time I saw a ruling party’s campaign focus strictly on lashing an opposition leader, instead of discussing plans for the country, the whole party was unceremoniously booted out by the electorate (see results of Barbados 2018 General Election).

But these tactics were just the nail; the ULP had spent previous terms building, sanding and shining the coffin.

There was a laundry list of missteps by the ULP administration: countless evidence-backed cases of political victimisation, policy blunders (see COVID-19 vaccine mandate) as well as rape allegations and sexual scandals (see Michelle Andrews, Yugge Farrell, et al). 

But alas, comrades, this article is not intended to be political commentary. The election results have provided more than enough to nourish political analysts, and the like, for months and years to come.

This is a commentary on the people and a warning of the dangers of placing blind trust in political parties and their leaders.

In 2021, I was a contributing writer on a non-fiction anthology titled “Six Feet Apart: A Collection of Quarantine Thoughts and Stories” which was produced by Listwa Publishing. The anthology featured writers from various Caribbean countries and their experiences during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

My story, Reluctant X, is a real-life account of a Vincentian, first-time voter during the 2020 general election. Bernard (renamed for fear of victimisation) has to fight through the noise of NDP versus ULP in his home and community, in order to decide which party to vote for.

At the time of crafting the story, SVG had recently passed through another election cycle. Though I had spent time in SVG during the 2015 general election, 2020 was my formal introduction into Vincy election coverage as a journalist and it left me simultaneously confused and awestruck at the viciousness of the political divide. I had never before seen such a clear delineation of the US versus THEM mentality.

In SVG, political neutrality can be filed under the category of “Things That May Exist But Are Yet To Be Seen”. Any support or criticism of one party is always viewed as blind allegiance or vehement hate towards the other. Many Vincentians are, asBernard explains in Reluctant X, “locked … in a perpetual battle of red versus yellow”.

It was strange to watch political tribalism cast friends, coworkers, even family members against each other. The divisive atmosphere also caused me disruptions in the field, as I would later discover that the media house where I was employed was judged by sections of the public as being a “Labour paper”.

Ten years after I first became immersed in the political environment in SVG, the situation has seen little improvement. The hope is the recent election results will usher in change.

But hope is a fleeting and “dangerous thing that can drive a man insane”. (Shawshank Redemption, 1994)

The official swearing-in ceremony of the new prime minister took place on the evening of Nov. 28 but there was another ceremony, equally as important, which happened on the night of Nov. 27 and saw the participation of thousands — horns ringing out across 15 constituencies, music blasting and out of a sea of yellow, voices sang “Yellow is the Code” and “Friday! Friday!”

The Rastafarian concept of Word-Sound-Power points to the subconscious power of words- meaning what you give voice to, you also give power to; what you speak, manifests.

While in 2001, after the ULP emerged as the choice of the people, the chants would have been “Labour Now!” and celebrating, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, on election night. thousands took to the streets to chant NDP slogans and sing Dr. Godwin Friday’s name. 

Though it was heart-warming to see the unbridled happiness of the people as they welcomed the end of what has been described as their darkest days, the question to be answered: is the atmosphere now conducive for political neutrality to thrive or has the shoe just been switched to the other foot following the exaltation ritual of the yellow party and its leader?

What the people would do well to remember is that politicians are made of flesh and blood. They are not demigods, neither are they saviours. Politicians are men and women who have offered themselves up to serve the people and the people must never allow their allegiance to a party to obscure their moral vision.

Politicians, even the best-intentioned ones, will, inevitably, in one way or another, fail the people who have chosen them to govern.

The problem comes, as it did with the ULP administration, when mistakes are made and followers of the party behave deaf, blind and mute for fear that if change comes, as it did on Nov. 27, and their party is ousted, the only other choice for governance is the option that they have been mentally conditioned over generations to despise.

2001 was a win for the ULP and now 2025 is a win for the NDP. But at what point will the people of SVG win? When will love of country and fellow man be placed above the love of party?

A citizen’s birth certificate lists their name, parents’ names, date and place of birth. There is no slot for party affiliation. That means that above all else, allegiance to country comes first because when hurricanes, pandemics and wars come knocking, these nation-crushing occurrences do not check party cards before they unleash destruction. 

Dr. Friday, both in post-election interviews and in his swearing-in speech, spoke about an inclusive government. One that will do its best to “uplift living standards, moral values, hopes and expectations of our people” and where citizens’ aspirations are not “prevented or obstructed” by partisan politics. Despite this reassurance thought, the red party has signalled their intention to be on the lookout for political victimisation. It seems as if they now understand that the rabbit has the gun. 

History has shown us, across numerous Caribbean territories that political swings are a natural occurrence in the democratic process. The NDP had a previous four-term hold on the country, followed by the ULP’s five terms. Proving that when the people have had enough, they will speak out.

Labour supporters would say Dr. Gonsalves was the best thing that ever happened to Vincy; others may characterise him as the worst and we can only hypothesise what will be said about Dr. Friday’s leadership in years to come.

So now, the Gonsalves era has ended and the future of St. Vincent and the Grenadines is being written, let us hope that there will never be another administration which brings the people to their knees before change is ushered in.

Let us also hope this change means an end to the war of red versus yellow and the unification of blue, green and yellow.

*Christina Katrina Smith is journalist, writer and documentary filmmaker. 

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