The three Toyota Prado SUVs used by former prime minister Ralph Gonsalves will be given new registration numbers and reassigned to different government offices, Minister of National Security, St. Clair Leacock, says.
He said on Boom FM on Monday that new vehicles will be acquired for Prime Minister Godwin Friday’s use.
Photographs began emerging on social media on Sunday of three black Prado SUVs resembling those that had been assigned to the Office of the Prime Minister under Gonsalves’s tenure, with registration plates G7, G77 and G777.
The photographs showed similar vehicles bearing registration numbers G141, G114, and G411.
Some people concluded that the numbers were used to reflect the results of the Nov. 27 general election, which the New Democratic Party won, 14 seats to the Unity Labour Party’s one.
“I can’t tell you that I can confirm that,” Leacock said when asked if the new prime minister would use the vehicles in the photos.
“The prime minister, at the moment, is moving around in rented vehicles,” the national security minister further said.
“The last set of vehicles that were available to the government, the sevens and the seven-sevens and so on and so forth, those vehicles will be returned to the public service, either to the police or to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
Leacock said that the registration plates of those vehicles will be changed.
“The colours will be repainted, and that history will be removed. So that’s a part of the removal of that history. Straight up,” Leacock said.
“So, the current prime minister will get, as he is deserving, his own vehicles for his travel, his security and his comfort.”
Asked if the G141, G114, G411 were just people messing around, Leacock said:
“Well, people don’t just mess around with $200,000 vehicles. So there has to be some officialdom to them. After all, they have a G number before them.”
Leacock suggested that if the vehicles bearing G141, G114, G411 number plates were, in fact, new they must have been ordered before the general election by the previous government.
“You don’t get a vehicle today for tomorrow. Especially Prado vehicles. Those require some time period to be ordered,” said Leacock who also owns a Prado.
Leacock said that he does not determine the type of vehicle that the prime minister uses.
“Those are prime ministerial privileges and conversation. Don’t expect me to get near the prime minister’s prerogative and authority. I’m a deputy,” Leacock said, adding that he is responsible for national security matters, “but not the selection of the vehicle that you should have”.
iWitness News understands that the new government might be concerned about privacy issues surrounding the current prime minister using vehicles that had been used by his opponent.
They have started. I wish you people st Vincent and the Grenadines all the best. The vehicles are not good enough for Dr. Friday so they have to go out and buy him new vehicles. You guys are going to see.
Leacock has always been dunce. A detailed sweep by security experts would suffice and would be way cheaper than purchasing new vehicles. Or maybe he is not dunce just never see come see, come crazy.
Privacy issues as in they might be bugged or tracked or both¿