St. Vincent and the Grenadines opposition leader and regional political icon Dr. Ralph Gonsalves delighted attendees at City Hall by claiming he is “available” to run for a political seat in Trinidad and Tobago once his duties at home are complete.
Speaking at the People’s National Movement (PNM) Independence Day celebrations, Gonsalves revealed his deep-seated familial and legal ties to the twin-island republic, joking that he could comfortably contest seats in prominent communities like Laventille and Morvant.
Addressing the crowd in Port of Spain, the veteran statesman explained that he is, in fact, a Trinidad and Tobago citizen by birthright. His mother, Theresa Valina Francis, was born in Trinidad on March 31, 1919. Under the constitutional laws governing citizenship by descent, Gonsalves stated that he has held Trinidadian citizenship from birth—a status that does not rely on the discretion of any local authority.
However, Gonsalves revealed that he has never actually applied for or held a Trinidad and Tobago passport. The decision was entirely strategic and political.
According to Gonsalves, obtaining a Trinidadian passport would have legally required him to swear allegiance, obedience, and adherence to a foreign power from the perspective of St. Vincent. Under Vincentian law, swearing such an oath to another nation would have immediately disqualified him from presenting himself as a candidate for public office in his home country.
Despite keeping his distance from a Trinidadian passport, Gonsalves emphasized his profound connection to local Trinidadian communities, specifically highlighting his familiarity with the working-class areas of East Port of Spain.
“Vincenians have been coming to Trinidad and Tobago, and Trinidadians and Tobagonians to St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” Gonsalves remarked. “A lot of people in Laventille and Morvant, I know them well. I could run in Laventille or Morvant.”
While Gonsalves clarified that he is highly mindful of his boundaries and does not wish to “put his mouth and his feet” directly into the domestic business of Trinidad and Tobago politics while actively serving, he teased a future move.
Reflecting on his leadership of the Unity Labour Party (ULP), which he has led since December 1998, Gonsalves offered a lighthearted promise to the PNM faithful.
“When I finish this business in which I am involved with the ULP—if ever I am ever finished with it—I’m available,” Gonsalves told a cheering audience.
Gonsalves also used the occasion to highlight the historical ties between his political party and the PNM. He noted that the ULP and the PNM share a common political lineage as members of the historic West Indies Federal Labour Party, recalling how St. Vincent’s founding father, Robert Milton Cato, worked alongside the PNM’s founder, Dr. Eric Williams.
He also touched on his close personal and professional relationships with former PNM Prime Ministers Patrick Manning and Dr. Keith Rowley, cementing his view that the political and cultural destinies of Trinidad and St. Vincent remain permanently intertwined.
