As Taiwan and St. Vincent and the Grenadines celebrate 45 years of diplomatic relations, acting Prime Minister St. Clair Leacock says, “distant water does not separate close-knit families and friends”.
Speaking during the visit of a Taiwan Navy squadron as part of activities to mark the milestone, Leacock made another call on Taipei to contribute to the constituency development fund that the ruling New Democratic Party administration hopes to introduce.
Leacock, speaking at a join parade by the visiting seamen and the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force in Arnos Vale, spoke “directly to [Taiwan] President Lai [Ching-te], not here present this morning, but in a reconfirmation and a restatement of a conversation that I had with him on my privileged visit to Taiwan to represent our proud nation”.
In March, Leacock led a four-member delegation on an official visit to Taiwan, the first by a member of the cabinet since the New Democratic Party was elected in November 2025.
He said that he had raised the constituency development fund with Lai and was confident that Taipei would contribute.
In his comments on Wednesday, Leacock said:
“Dear President Lai Ching-te, … We thank you for consolidating 45 years of historic, … hard-working, determined, resilient, productive and constructive development of our nation state in the family, partnership and relationship. But the job is not yet done.”
Leacock said that, notwithstanding the bridges, roads, hospitals, scholarships, and contributions to agriculture by Taiwan, “there still exists in our country, too much poverty, as I would like to say unapologetically, we are still, regrettably, a poverty-rich country. But no one is buying.”
He used the opportunity to highlight his desire that Taiwan contribute to the constituency development fund, which he has championed for almost 20 years.
Leacock, who is also the MP for Central Kingstown, said that the most common request from constituents to their MPs “is for more jobs, more opportunities to take care of themselves and not to be having to be knocking and begging on the doors of politicians.
“Can we do it? I say, yes, we can. And I’ve been arguing for very many years as a public servant and as a policymaker, we can fix it. And I beseech you then, and I beseech you here again this morning, President, there is an urgent need to put help assistance money directly into the pockets of the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
“And one sure way of doing that is by empowering, as the Constitution anticipated, the representatives of the people to be able to take care of their constituents on a sustained basis.”
He said his government is grateful for the assistance from Taiwan, noting that some Vincentians who received a scholarship to study in Taiwan have decided to spend their professional years there.
“A number would return, and we wish that when they return, that there are the jobs and opportunities to afford them to contribute further to their national development.
“… Please help us. Please help us. Please provide for the future of our nation. Please provide those badly needed constituency development funds to make Saint Vincent and the Grenadines the place that it wants to be, can be and must be,” Leacock said.