St Vincent Opposition leader Ralph Gonsalves labelled an internal dispute surrounding an Invest SVG delegation trip to South Korea, a severe international embarrassment for the country.
According to Gonsalves, the government received complimentary airline tickets from Invest SVG for an investment promotion mission to South Korea.
However, in-fighting erupted among officials over who should attend the trip, leading to a situation where a high-ranking female official traveling from New York had her flight ticket abruptly canceled mid-transit after someone within the St. Vincent government alerted the South Korean Embassy.
As a result of the ticket cancellation, the official was forced to return to St. Vincent without proceeding to Korea.
The controversy also involved the cancellation of an Invest SVG corporate credit card assigned to the official.
Addressing the credit card aspect, Gonsalves noted that corporate credit cards require strict fiscal controls to avoid misuse, highlighting that during his 25 years as Prime Minister, neither he nor his ministers utilized corporate credit cards, relying instead on per diem advances and out-of-pocket reimbursements.
Gonsalves strongly condemned the handling of the incident, emphasizing that embarrassing the nation before South Korea a major G20 economy damages St. Vincent’s international standing.
He contrasted the blunder with his administration’s previous diplomatic achievements, such as securing 185 votes in the United Nations General Assembly to win a seat on the UN Security Council. Gonsalves argued that proper governance required allowing the high-ranking official to complete the mission, leaving any authorization or disciplinary matters to be sorted out privately upon her return.
Gonsalves citied the episode as evidence of “internecine fighting” and severe leadership failures at the ministerial and prime ministerial levels, leading to operational paralysis within government. He also pushed back against commentary labeling female officials involved as “divas,” rejecting misogynistic framing and warning that the government’s internal turmoil reflects a broader organizational breakdown where “the center cannot hold”.
