Opposition Leader Ralph Gonsalves, provided a highly critical assessment of Prime Minister Friday’s speech at the CARICOM meeting, describing it as “vacuous,” “empty,” and consisting of “high school type declarations”.
Gonsalves asserts that the speech contained “no analysis” and that “no issues had been raised”. He characterizes the content as disappointing even for someone with low expectations and claims that other attendees at the meeting also expressed their disappointment.
He likens the quality of the speech to that of someone just entering university, suggesting that to call it “sophomoric” would actually be an insult to sophomores.
Gonsalves on Wednesday expressed concern about how the speech reflects on St. Vincent and the Grenadines, wondering “what people in the Caribbean thinking” about the country following such a performance.
According to Gonsalves, Friday used the platform to mention that people are generally unsatisfied with the slow pace of progress within CARICOM.
Gonsalves views Friday as part of a emerging “axis” alongside the leaders of Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.
The former PM suggests that while Friday’s speech was merely “empty,” it aligns him with leaders like Kamla Persad-Bissessar, whose rhetoric he deems “dangerous” for its perceived pivot away from regional solidarity with Cuba and Venezuela.
Gonsalves contrasts Friday’s “performance bravado” with what he sees as a lack of actual economic activity or meaningful diplomatic engagement for the country.