Opposition Leader Ralph Gonsalves on Monday offered a multi-layered critique of the NDP’s new statutory board appointments, focusing on class interests, nepotism, and governance standards.
Gonsalves argues that the NDP has been captured by an “urban and suburban elite” consisting of “petty bourgeois professionals” who have forgotten their roots and are doing the bidding of “historical elites”.
He contrasts the current leadership under Friday with the NDP of Sir James Mitchell, which he claims had a genuine connection to working people and farmers and noted that the new board list almost entirely excludes working-class people and farmers.
A central theme of his critique is that the boards are populated by “friends and family,” including spouses, fiances, and “baby mamas” of the political elite. He asserts that this approach represents a “recklessness” and “bad governance,” claiming that the public is in an “uproar” over the lack of transparency and fairness in the selection process.
Gonsalves highlighted what he sees as direct material conflicts of interest, stating that the government has appointed individuals to regulate or oversee industries in which they have personal business interests.
He uses the metaphor that one should “not put rat to watch cheese”. As a specific example, he mentions his cousin Keith, who was appointed to the AIA board despite being an agent for a major cargo airline that operates there.
Gonsalves further critiques the administration for “multiplicity of membership,” where single individuals are appointed to several different boards simultaneously and argued this should only happen “very rarely” and contrasts it with his own government’s policy of avoiding such overlaps.
Additionally, he points out that his administration avoided putting active public servants (like teachers or nurses) on boards unless required by law, whereas the NDP has included many political “warriors” regardless of their capacity.
Gonsalves characterizes the NDP’s overall approach to governance as “performative bravado,” claiming ministers are acting as “demagogues” who do not understand the constitutional limits of their authority and asserted that they are “disillusioned” because they believe they have absolute power to fire civil servants, but are finding themselves “powerless” against the protections provided by the Constitution and the Public Service Commission.
He said that this “contempt” for proper governance marks the beginning of the regime’s descent.