Opposition Leader Ralph Gonsalves has issued a stern warning to his detractors and those seeking personal gain from the current administration, asserting that his rhetorical “sting” remains fully intact.
During a broadcast on Star FM, Gonsalves delivered a scathing breakdown of the individuals now “positioning themselves” to benefit from the new government, characterizing many as “plainly opportunistic”.
Addressing perceptions that his political influence or voice has waned, Gonsalves made it clear that he is choosing his targets carefully rather than retreating.
“For those of those who think that Ralph’s tongue has lost its thing. Let them have a different idea,” he declared, adding that he has refrained from naming specific individuals only because they are “not worthy of having my time spent on them in any personal way”.
He warned that those currently criticizing his record or seeking state validation “don’t want to get the length of my tongue”.
Gonsalves said those currently aligned against the ULP or seeking benefits from the state into three distinct, unflattering groups:
- The Uninitiated and Biased: This group, he claimed, consists of “literate” individuals who lack proficiency in technical disciplines like finance. He argued their commentary is driven by a “bias towards the NDP” and “antipathy to the ULP” rather than a true understanding of documents like the Moody’s reports.
- The Myopic and Malicious: Gonsalves described this second category as being “stuffed with malice” against himself and his party. He labelled them “self-righteous” but “lacking the self-awareness” to see their own prejudices.
- The Opportunists: Perhaps his most “scathing” critique was reserved for the third group, whom he described as “plainly opportunistic” individuals looking to “eat a food” or “a better food”.
Gonsalves bitingly suggested that these opportunists are merely “lining up” to “put their snout… in the trough” of the new administration. He specifically targeted those who returned to St. Vincent just before the change in government to set up businesses, alleging they are seeking “validation to their own inadequacies from the state”.
“They have the illusion that the state could supply for them what they do not themselves have,” Gonsalves remarked, claiming these individuals are “stuffed with insecurities” and seeking “social estimation of honor” through state connection.
