By *Jomo Thomas
“Me party lose: my government in power.” — Calypsoian Ipa
“Some would rather watch the city burn to the ground if only to rule over the ashes.” — Sun Tzu, ancient Chinese military strategist.
The foregoing quotes reflect contrasting mindsets that may determine whether we sink or float as a nation. If we let those who put their party’s political fortunes over the nation’s interests dominate the airwaves and shape the prevailing narrative, SVG will be in for a rough ride. Those who have our country’s interests at heart must ensure citizens have all the facts when decisions are made about the nation’s future.
Security Minister St. Clair Leacock’s statements that the country is “broke” and people need to “band their belly” must be understood within this broader framework. Many citizens, especially those aligned to the opposition Unity Labour Party, have pounced on the disclosure as if anticipating an early return to power, even though the NDP government has served 11 months of its constitutionally mandated five-year term.
The singular task of any opposition party is to oppose, propose and depose within the constitutional limits. Therefore, the ULP’s rancour, noise, and exposure are understandable, yet regrettable, considering the party’s sordid, corrupt, and undemocratic performance, particularly the last 10 of its 24 continuous years of governance, which left our country “dead in the water” and resulted in the party’s massive defeat in the November 2025 elections.
ULP presided over the bankruptcy and must not be allowed to celebrate the diagnosis.
Some view Leacock’s candour as a sign of weakness. Plain Talk does not share that opinion. Leacock’s sobering admission tells us more about the country’s performance over the previous three or four election cycles than about how the country has been governed since 2026 rolled in.
Two VAT-free days and the hiring of a few nationals at high salaries could not break the bank. Anyone paying close attention to national life knows our economy has been on life support for years. Moreover, observers know that only Gonsalves’ desperate borrowing and reckless spending offered a facade of economic normalcy.
For perspective, in 2020, St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ national debt was approximately EC$1.87 billion. By Dec. 31, 2025, the total public debt ballooned to an estimated EC$3.5 billion.
The previous government claimed that the COVID Plandemic, the eruption of La Soufrière volcano in 2021, and the devastation caused by Hurricane Beryl account for the 40% rise in the national debt.
All three occurrences required borrowing, but calypsoian Man Sick reminds us, we have “nothing to show” for the increase in the national debt by over EC$1.5 billion.
Recall as well that it was during this period that Gonsalves boasted that his government was the only one in the world that borrowed millions from the International Monetary Fund and gave it away, or the 2024 disclosure by East Kingstown parliamentarian Fitz Bramble that the Taiwanese government offered Gonsalves US$126 million, ostensibly to build the new hospital, but included no belts and braces as to how the money was to be spent.
Recall also the CDB report, which outlined that a US$20 million loan could have rehabilitated the original port to serve us adequately for decades more. Gonsalves opted to build a new port with a US$250 million price tag.
Recall also the over EC$12 million of National Lottery money squandered in the rat hole at the Peniston casino, or the EC $7.6 million the principals in the ULP administration ordered National Lottery executives to distribute between June and October 2025 in a vain attempt to win a 6th term in power.
Gonsalves’ primary concern, remaining in power rather than national development, explains the EC$1 billion SVG owes Taiwan and the squandering of the initial US$100 loan from the World Bank and the OPEC Fund, earmarked for hospital construction but whimsically used for Beryl relief.
This overview helps to explain Leacock’s admission that the country was broke. But recall, too, Gonsalves’ admission during the COVID Plandemic that the country may soon be unable to pay public servants’ monthly salaries.
Gonsalves and his clansmen’s profligate policies took us to bankruptcy rather than to the cusp of the economic takeoff they promised years before they were removed from power.
We must remember not to forget!
Now let’s circle back to Leacock’s admission. His plain talk may be necessary, but it isn’t enough. He and his party auditioned for this job of national governance. They claimed that Gonsalves was primarily concerned with enriching his family and local and foreign friends. The 2025 election is proof positive that the electorate accepted that argument.
But they said more. On the campaign trail, they said they could govern better and deliver more. One year in, many who voted for them harbour doubts, even though they exhibit no intention of giving up on the party. There’s still plenty of goodwill, if not unbounded enthusiasm.
Vincentians are a patient lot. They offer politicians time to prove they are worthy. Recall James Mitchell NDP got four consecutive terms from 1984 to 2001, and Gonsalves’ ULP got five terms before being massively rejected.
We hope that Vincentians drop the bad habit of meekly suffering while politicians grow comfortable and wealthy.
While Dr Friday and his team need time to steady the ship of state and get down to the business of delivering what they promised, voters must remain ever vigilant and more demanding to ensure that elected politicians serve them rather than themselves.
For now, I have one word of advice: don’t panic. Next week, I will offer a series of proposals as to what the government can do to reclaim the initiative while charting the course for national development.
*Jomo Sanga Thomas is a lawyer, journalist, social commentator and a former Speaker of the House of Assembly in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
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