By Ashford Peters
Hours before the Godwin Friday administration presents its first Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure at to Parliament later on Thursday, there is an air of anticipation — which has carried over from Nov. 27 when the Vincentian electorate voted overwhelmingly for a new government after almost quarter century.
While details of the soon-to-be-presented 2026 estimates of revenue and expenditure have yet to be made public, Vincentians have been given a sneak preview that suggests much emphasis is placed on human development.
The ruling New Democratic Party (NDP) is known for this focus, expressed in its mantra “put the money where the pain is”, made popular by the party’s leader, Prime Minister Godwin Friday during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when he was opposition leader.
On Dec. 19, Vincentians experienced their first VAT-free shopping day. As a follow-up to easing the financial burden, public sector workers and pensioners are this week receiving salary bonuses ranging from EC$1,000 to EC$2,000.
“The budget that’s going to be presented this year does not sufficiently capture a needs assessment. For the greater part, it represents continuity of what the last administration had going with respect to projects and vision,” Deputy Prime Minister St. Clair Leacock, told the state-owned NBC Radio Wednesday.
“And it’s sometimes too difficult to turn a ship around when it’s in the ocean. You have to bring it back to the port, to safe harbour to effect that turn around,” Leacock, who is also Member of Parliament for Central Kingstown, further stated.
He said constituents can be sure that Central Kingstown will receive some immediate benefits, mainly, “low-hanging fruit. People who never got Poor Relief, Public Assistance before will get it now; people who didn’t get (Hurricane) Beryl assistance will get it now. Because we have officers that are so assigned.”
Later on, Wednesday, Leacock spoke on the NDP’s programme on NICE Radio, telling listeners that Vincentians have to understand that the 2026 estimates and budget are particularly challenging and that everything is “hurried and rushed” for a government that is in office for only two months.
“So that would not have allowed for sufficient needs analysis in our respective constituencies,” he said, adding that some of the things the administration would have liked to have included in the fiscal package will have to wait a little longer to get into this or another budget cycle.
He said that certainly, as sources of funds improve, perhaps towards the end of the year, the administration might be able to extend itself “into that direction”.
“We continue to look after the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines the best way we can,” Leacock said, noting that there is a budget increase.
Leacock said the budget will do “as best as it can to emphasise social development”, adding that Andrew John’s Ministry of Housing, Urban Development, Land Management and Informal Settlement; and Laverne Gibson-Velox’s Ministry of the Family, Gender Affairs, Persons with Disabilities, Occupational Safety and Labour are getting a chunk on par with, or alongside, some of the conventional bigger ministries.
However, “… everybody will get a fair share of the cake and it’s gonna require very careful management,” Leacock said.
The deputy prime minister said his suspicion is that later this year, Vincentians will see “conditions consistently, continuously improving and lives getting better day-by-day, week-by-week, month-by-month for the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, to complement the already good, fresh air that Vincentians are breathing”.
That has to be the most unflattering possible photograph of Mr Leacock.