Nigel Stephenson, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure & Physical Planning on Thursday mentioned a $40,000 salary (specifically $40,000 a month) along with vehicle abuse and income inequality.
Stephenson said the individual who arrived in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in 2013 and was initially earning over $20,000 a month has since doubled the salary. He said despite this high income, they still maintain possession of a government vehicle and questioned why such high earners still use state resources like government fuel.
The minister specifically questioned whether the individual earning roughly $40,000 a month is still going to (BRAGSA) for fuel, and he has demanded an answer on this matter “soonest”.
While Stephenson did not named the individual, it was revealed in November 2025, that former Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves’s brother-in-law, Cecil Harris, is the person in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) with a contract that pays him EC$40,000 a month.
Harris, is a civil engineer with training and experience in civil engineering, law, and project management, he is the Government of SVG’s project manager for the Taiwanese-funded US$125 million Strengthening Health Resilience Project.
Stephenson contrasts these high salaries with the financial reality of the average “half-decent Vincentian”. He notes that many people do not earn $20,000 or $40,000 a month, and some do not even earn $20,000 in an entire year.
Despite not making these high monthly salaries, he points out that many citizens still have the ambition to try and own their own personal vehicles, rather than relying on government-provided ones.
Stephenson uses these figures to argue that individuals who can clearly afford their own transportation should not be taking “refuge” in government-funded vehicles and housing.