Prominent attorney and former Speaker of the House of Assembly Jomo Thomas has launched a stinging critique against persistent class snobbery and systemic municipal neglect in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, calling for a fundamental shift in national consciousness and concrete public infrastructure upgrades. Speaking on his radio broadcast during the “Play Talk” segment, Thomas addressed two pressing national issues: the elitist rhetoric surrounding family “pedigree” and “good stock,” and the public scapegoating of market vendors over Kingstown’s morning rubbish conditions following viral video footage of litter-strewn capital streets.
Thomas expressed deep concern over the recurring societal notion that certain families possess superior pedigree or come from better stock, framing the sentiment as a damaging class snub designed to accord special privileges to a select few. Rooting his argument in Vincentian history, Thomas pointed out that following the achievement of universal adult suffrage in 1951, the vast majority of the population was exceedingly poor and lacked access to formal education.
With current statistics showing that four out of ten Vincentians continue to live in poverty, Thomas argued that personal professional success, accumulated wealth, or higher education should never be used to assert social superiority or demand disproportionate access to state resources. Reaffirming the egalitarian maxim popularized by the former prime minister that “we are not better than nobody, but nobody better than us,” he warned that class elitism undermines social cohesion and creates entrenched disparities across public institutions.
To illustrate how class privilege manifests in the country’s institutional framework, Thomas highlighted sharp disparities within the legal system, citing a past incident where a practicing attorney shot and killed a woman right outside the police barracks. In that instance, a battery of ten lawyers immediately mobilized to defend their colleague, ultimately securing a mental quirk defense that resulted in a sentence of roughly five years.
Thomas contrasted that swift fraternity response with the plight of ordinary citizens acting in self-defense, who frequently struggle to secure pro-bono legal representation. He argued that true societal fairness requires dismantling the unearned entitlements of status and ensuring that justice and resources are accorded equally to all citizens.
Turning to municipal governance, Thomas responded to widespread public outrage generated by a viral pre-dawn video depicting heavy trash accumulation around the Kingstown market area, stretching from Pepperon down to the Ace hardware commercial zone. While acknowledging the appalling visual state of the streets, Thomas strongly rejected attempts to lay the blame on market vendors, characterizing the backlash as an unfair habit of dumping on ordinary citizens trying to earn a living.
He emphasized that vendors operate in one of the highest-density commercial zones without basic municipal support, noting that the Kingstown Town Board has failed to provide adequate dumpsters, accessible garbage containers, or disposable trash bags across the market district. The lack of proper receptacles leaves vendors with little choice but to leave waste at street level, which is subsequently scattered across roadways by homeless individuals searching for food.
Thomas also highlighted severe infrastructure deficiencies in the capital, specifically calling out the near-total absence of public restrooms in Kingstown. Beyond the facility operated by the Soroptimist group at Heritage Square, residents and visitors are forced to scramble for places to relieve themselves, as commercial stores and restaurants regularly deny public access.
He criticized the double standards of public commentators who condemn vendors while remaining silent on commercial store owners along Back Street who regularly pay individuals to deposit large business refuse onto street corners. Furthermore, Thomas questioned why the Central Water and Sewerage Authority and municipal sanitation crews permit market waste to linger on streets overnight until morning hours, pointing out that during major cultural events such as Nine Mornings and Carnival, sanitation teams execute immediate overnight cleanups to ensure pristine streets by dawn.
To resolve Kingstown’s sanitation challenges, Thomas recommended a combination of infrastructure expansion, operational adjustments, and stricter civic enforcement. He urged municipal authorities to install visible, closely spaced garbage containers and temporary trash bags throughout high-traffic vending zones, alongside scheduling mandatory evening collection sweeps between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. To foster long-term public discipline, Thomas suggested adopting rigorous anti-littering enforcement and fines similar to measures implemented in Singapore, insisting that clean public spaces require both responsive governance and an elevated civic consciousness across all sectors of Vincentian society.
