Leader of the Opposition Ralph Gonsalves has rejected a claim that his Unity Labour Party (ULP) government left the new administration a debt of EC$10 million to JetBlue Airways.
He said on radio on Monday that while a revenue‑guarantee arrangement exists with the carrier, the figure being cited by the New Democratic Party government does not reflect the actual liability.
Gonsalves said the agreement with JetBlue includes standard revenue‑guarantee provisions of the kind used across the Eastern Caribbean to secure international airlift. However, he accused Tourism Minister Kishore Shallow of misleading the public about the size and status of any sums due.
Shallow mentioned the EC$10 million in Parliament on Thursday while responding to a question from opposition senator Keisal Peters.
Gonsalves, who was prime minister under the ULP administration and Carlos James, who was minister of tourism when the party was voted out of office in November, did not rebut the figure when Shallow mentioned it in Parliament.
However, Gonsalves said on the ULP’s radio station on Monday that Shallow had told the public that by October last year the state‑run Tourism Authority owed JetBlue EC$10 million.
Gonsalves argued that the structure and timing of the revenue‑guarantee mechanism make such a figure implausible as an accrued debt.
He said that under the arrangement, the government had committed to a combination of start‑up support and a revenue guarantee to help establish and sustain the route.
JetBlue would normally bill any guarantee shortfalls on an annual basis, Gonsalves said, noting that last October marked one year since JetBlue began flying to SVG.
Gonsalves said that between the start‑up support and any guarantee claims, the overall package could amount to as much as US$2 million (EC$5.38 million), but he maintained that this was a ceiling, not an amount already owed.
He told listeners that while “the money would have been up to $10 million” in Eastern Caribbean dollar terms, that figure represented maximum exposure under the agreement rather than an actual, billed liability as of the time he left office.
“We had always said that there’s a revenue guarantee, but they haven’t paid it. And October is coming now, and we’ll see what is the other bill. The money would have been up to $10 million, but that is not what had been incurred,” he said.
‘Dangerous’ messaging
The opposition leader criticised Shallow not only for the way he referenced the JetBlue figures, but also for publicly casting doubt on the quality of the agreement itself.
The opposition leader said Shallow has suggested that the JetBlue contract “was not professional” and indicated an intention to renegotiate it.
Gonsalves said this sends a negative signal to the airline and risks undermining the route.