By Kenrick Quashie
I recall an article by Jomo Thomas on Dec. 5, 2025, following the NDP’s victory at the polls. It was entitled, “And now comes the hard part”. At the time, it felt like sober advice. Today, it feels like lived reality.
The Friday-led administration is now getting a full dose of that hard part. The leakage of the board members’ allocation list has generated robust debate across the country, and rightfully so. When a new government is elected on the promise of change and higher standards, every decision will be examined carefully.
This scrutiny must not be seen as hostility, but rather as accountability in action. I wrote previously that Vincentians will and should hold the NDP to a much higher standard than what was accepted under the ULP. That principle must apply in areas such as board appointments, compensation structures, and political patronage. Even some individuals appointed to boards have expressed concerns about aspects of the allocations. That alone should prompt reflection.
Honestly, based on a few early steps and missteps, I have concluded that while the NDP was prepared to win the general elections, it may not have been as equally prepared to govern. There were administrative, structural, and procedural matters that should have been settled long before victory.
Instead, Cabinet now appears to be scrambling to address them in real time. As the old saying goes, “hurry, hurry bird nah build good nest”. This moment, however, can still be instructive. Healthy debate on the board allocations should lead to better systems, clearer policies, and more disciplined decision-making. With more board appointments yet to come, the public will be watching closely.
I have previously described political patronage as a balancing act. It requires judgment, fairness, restraint, and transparency. It must never become, “They did it, so we must do it too.” This new administration must set a new standard. What the discussions over the weekend also highlights, is what I consider to be a major shortcoming of the recently concluded Budget Debate. There was a stark and disappointing absence of any material commitment to good governance, accountability, and integrity in public life.
To be fair, during the parliamentary debate, the government’s presentations were impressive. Member after member delivered structured, confident, and articulate contributions. The tone reflected seriousness and preparation. The economic focus to reduce tax burdens while increasing citizens’ spending power was understandable for a first-year fiscal framework.
What was missing, however, was just as important as what was presented. There was no legislative commitment to having the governor-general assent to the Freedom of Information Act. There was no roadmap for integrity in public life legislation. There was no discussion of addressing structural shortcomings in our electoral system.
We cannot continue the tradition of leaving politicians and senior public officials to regulate themselves. History, both locally and internationally, has shown that self-regulation in public life is insufficient. Laws must be enacted, strengthened, and enforced. Transparency must be institutional. It is precisely because of our historical experience that there is such intense debate over the board allocations. These structures have long been channels through which corruption have flourished.
If we are serious about change, then we must reform the systems that enable abuse and not simply manage them more carefully. Economic reform and governance reform are not mutually exclusive. They must advance together. A new St. Vincent and the Grenadines cannot be built solely on economic revival without parallel integrity safeguards.
While the government seems eager to deliver, building a new SVG requires more than fiscal stimulus. It requires structural reform, institutional transparency, and a clear break from the governance weaknesses of the past. How it handles these matters will define this administration far more than any campaign promise ever could.
On a final note, Adrianna King, Kenson King, and others remain in the wilderness, even though many Vincentians acknowledge that the suffering they endured was rooted in political prosecution by the previous administration. It is time for them to receive relief through lawful and appropriate means. A new era must not leave old injustices lingering.
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Are you not being a little myopic in wanting the Adriana and Kenson maters to be resolved by political edict rather than the law. If we are holding the NDP to higher standards then they cannot be seen to be operating ultravires and outside and above the law. It cannot be that if you go to all courts in the land you still have to come back to Friday! even the NDP appeal form two elections ago is still in the courts.