Minister of National Security St Clair Leacock, delivered a sharp rebuke to the Opposition during the debate on the $20 million OPEC Fund loan, accusing the former administration of “consistently” failing to deliver on its promised capital programs.
Interrupting the debate on a point of order, the Minister dismissed the Opposition’s narrative of strategic management as “terribly misleading,” providing figures to suggest a systemic collapse in project implementation over the last five years.
The Minister’s primary charge centered on the previous government’s inability to spend the money it had allocated for national development. He asserted that between 2019 and 2023, the former administration underspent its capital programs by over $1 billion.,
“The government has been consistently unable to realize the capital programs that they put on paper,” the Minister stated. He highlighted that in 2023 alone, the most recent audit report showed a shortfall of over $212 million from a proposed $64 million capital expenditure plan (though the transcript suggests the $64m figure may refer to a specific component or a misstatement of the total).
Speaking specifically to the Ministry of National Security, which he now oversees, the Minister alleged that the previous government had effectively abandoned the ministry’s development. He claimed that under the prior leadership, only 24% of the capital program for national security was actually spent.
This lack of investment stood in stark contrast to the $5 million allocation noted by the Opposition Leader in the current estimates, a sum that Opposition Senator James cautioned might never actually reach the Ministry once the OPEC loan funds are deposited into the general Consolidated Fund.,
“Good Clean Governance”
The Leacock also took aim at the political rhetoric used by the Opposition, specifically the term “hook in the gill” a metaphor previously used to describe the burden of national debt on Vincentians. He argued that such narratives must be “rubbished” in light of the previous administration’s spending record.
The Minister concluded by asserting that the 2025 election results were a mandate for a change in management style. “That’s what the people voted for last year to get good clean governance,” he declared, framing the current $20 million loan as a necessary tool for a government that actually intends to satisfy its capital commitments.
Though the Minister’s formal contribution was largely focused on fiscal accountability, his presence was a point of contention for the Opposition. During his own presentation, Senator James noted the Minister was “smiling” across the floor, but warned him that the “Minister of Finance… is going to use all” of the new loan facility to carry the rest of the government, potentially leaving the National Security budget underfunded for the remainder of the year.