The ongoing dispute over the Canadian citizenship of NDP members Godwin Friday and Fitz Bramble has resurrected memories of past political battles in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, leading to accusations of intense political hypocrisy.
During a recent public broadcast, it was noted that the NDP itself had previously fought fiercely against allowing dual citizens to hold office. Recalling the 2009 constitutional reform efforts, Opposition leader Ralph Gonsalves noted, “one of the questions before the people there was in the reform was to allow dual citizens to run for office. You know, the people voted that down. The constitution was voted down and the NDP itself including Friday campaigned against that provision”.
The historical context was further deepened by Sir Louis, who recounted his own experience in 1994 when he held U.S. citizenship. He revealed that he was advised by legal counsel that “the constitution requires that I have just one an undivided loyalty to St. Vincent and the Grenardines and therefore I must renounce my US citizenship”. Sir Louie recalled traveling to the American embassy in Barbados to officially renounce his citizenship to ensure his nomination was legally sound.
He also pointed out that the NDP’s own Attorney General at the time, Parnell Campbell, heavily scrutinized his status: “Parnell Campbell was the attorney general at the time and P was diligently seeking to see whether he could have me denied nomination”.
Critics argue that the NDP’s current attempt to change the law to protect their own candidates contrasts sharply with their past actions. “They were the ones who campaigned to ensure that this constitution remain now it doesn’t suit them anymore… they are willing to sacrifice the interest of the nation and the interest of democracy on their personal altar of satisfaction,” Gonsalves noted regarding the 2009 referendum.
The Opposition maintains that candidates must abide by the laws that existed during their elections. “Candidates must be judged by the rules enforced when they ran… You really can’t run the race and then move the finish line afterwards”.