Bramble Breaks Down in Tears at NDP’s Manifesto Launch
Emotions ran high at the New Democratic Party’s Thanksgiving rally as East Kingstown representative and candidate Fitzgerald Bramble delivered a speech endorsing his party’s manifesto and pledging urgent action to tackle poverty and economic hardship in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Quoting from Deuteronomy 31:8, Bramble reminded supporters that “the Lord will go before us; he will be with us; he will not fail us nor forsake us,” urging Vincentians to take courage and place their trust in the future. He described the message of his party leader as one of “hope and sincerity,” contrasting it with the struggles endured by citizens over the past 25 years, and especially the last five.
Bramble got visibly emotional as he recounted the toll of rising living costs, noting that nearly half of the population more than 40,000 people live in poverty, surviving on $14 a day or less. “To say that it pains my heart would be an understatement,” he said, drawing parallels to the biblical story of Jesus feeding thousands with five loaves and two fishes. “God has to help this team to provide more than loaves and fishes,” he added.
Turning to his constituency, Bramble expressed deep affection for the people of East Kingstown, declaring: “There are three things I must do in life to live, to die, and before I die, to love and cherish the people of East Kingstown.”
He outlined key economic pledges in the NDP’s manifesto, including the establishment of a National Jobs and Skills Agency to identify and develop in demand skills, a jobs creation package to support businesses, and a business charter to streamline the process of setting up and maintaining enterprises. Bramble criticized the country’s poor ranking in the World Bank’s ease of doing business index, where St. Vincent and the Grenadines placed 129th out of 193 countries, and vowed to make business operations “easier and more profitable.”
Concluding his address, Bramble urged supporters never to forget to give thanks “in great and in small,” framing the rally as both a moment of gratitude and a call to action. With the general election just a few days away, he positioned the NDP’s manifesto as a blueprint for economic renewal and hope for Vincentians facing hardship.
