Leader of the Opposition Ralph Gonsalves recently delivered a scathing critique of St Vincnet’s Deputy Prime Minister St. Clair Leacock condemning his treatment of public servants and his approach to governance.
Gonsalves accused Leacock of bullying and threatening public servants. Leacock recently stated that public servants must “fall in line or resign” and give “loyalty to the Friday administration”. Gonsalves sharply rebuked this, arguing that an impartial public service does not owe loyalty to any specific administration. Instead, he noted, public servants “simply owe an allegiance to the government and people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines”.
Leacock also reportedly accused Gonsalves of running a “parallel government” alongside permanent secretaries and of “pouring poison” into the government. Gonsalves firmly rejected this, explaining that he is merely fulfilling his representational duties by helping constituents including NDP supporters to resolve issues with government ministries. He mocked Leacock’s apparent paranoia, questioning whether he was now acting as a “friendship and thought police” by trying to dictate who public servants can interact with.
Gonsalves also took aim at Leacock’s posturing regarding the police force. According to Gonsalves, Leacock announced himself as the “new sheriff in town” who would singlehandedly enact changes and oversee promotions within the senior ranks of the police.
Gonsalves dismissed this as ignorant political bluster, outlining that under the law, a minister does not have the authority to promote officers. He explained that promotions are managed by the Commissioner of Police and the Police Service Commission. Gonsalves warned Leok that by presenting himself as the ultimate authority on promotions, he is setting himself up for backlash: when the promotion list comes out, the disappointed officers will have no one to blame but Leacock himself. Gonsalves advised Leacock that if he continues making these types of threats and overreaching, he and the administration will “bring damnation on their own heads”.