Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has maintained his position that his country’s passport is not for sale.
In July 2023, he predicted that a European Union (EU) hammer was coming down shortly on the region’s Citizenship by Investment program (CBI). He was reacting to a decision by the British government to impose visa restrictions on travelers holding Dominican passports.
In a video interview, Gonsalves said the new visa regime on Dominica, which was imposed due to concerns over the island’s CBI program, was just a matter of time.
Furthermore, based on the Vincentian leader’s current statements, there is more bad news on the horizon for CBI programs across the region.
“The European Union Commissioner had a meeting with those same governments (within the OECS),” he said.
“The highest office in the land is that of citizens. It is higher than the office of President, Governor General, Prime Minister,” he said while delivering remarks at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Open Campus’ 14th Annual Dame Eugenia Charles Memorial Lecture held at the State House Conference Centre this week. “Our perspective: it is not a commodity for sale,” he remarked.
As it relates to the passport, he said it is, “the outward sign of the inward grace of citizenship and that too is not potato, yam, dasheen and cassava and that too, from our standpoint, is not for sale.”
“That is the same point of principle, not ideology,” Dr. Gonsalves noted. “The second issue of practicality is the two dimensions, how some programs run and the fact that countries external to us which we engage in practical terms are taking increasingly hostile positions and the impact that may have on those programs and persons who are issued passports under such programs.”
Dr. Gonzales added, “That is in a nutshell our position.”
Dr. Gonzales said he is aware that there are revenues made by governments, “I know some lawyers and accountants and middle-men love them and they make a lot of money.”
“In St Vincent and the Grenadines the opposition argues for Citizenship By Investment to sell passports and citizenship,” Dr. Gonsalves explained.
As for the administrations engaged in such programs, he believes those are sovereign decisions.
So if mistadem in St Vincent can do without CBI why Skerrit dere acting like that is the only way Dominica can survive,,,
Instead of going all over the plce one time he and his cabol in Morocco den dey reach Dubai, dey was India dere the other day allyou get the point,,,
Why not go just dere by Uncle Ralphy in St. Vincent and spend a Month with PardnerMan Ralhy and take some notes from him nuh,,,
Or even better yet now allyou have 5 star hotel, Bring DeMan nuh and have him give allyou a crash course in how to cancel the CBI program and build Dominica by Dominicans for Dominicans,,,
De Amount of money allyou have galavanting the globe and not bringing back Noffing for Dominica all you could just Feed uncle Raplhy wi and give him a spot to sleep while he come dere teaching allyou how to make serious moves!!!
But den again all lickleBoys tinkin dey Bigman never listen to deir big Brothers and Elders to better themselves until dey fall on deir face eating dirt!!!
… “I know some lawyers and accountants and middle-men love them and they make a lot of money.”
But why he didn’t say some Prime Ministers love them because they make a lot of money? Please be bold and correct that statement Dr Gonsalves, if you really want me to respect you as a straight shooter
He doesn’t have to mention Prime Ministers, when we all know that Roosevelt is a beneficiary of the scheme! Every comment he made in that is pertaining to Roosevelt!
Just read between the lines.
Be reminded that he made an idiot out of Roosevelt, after Roosevelt brought him to Dominica, to tell our nation that we don’t need an International Airport, however, while he was manipulating the idiot into spending more than half of a billion dollars on extending the length of Melville Airport, and installing landing lights!
He Gonzalez had his plans in motion to build his nation Airport “Argyle International” at a cost of a little over Seven hundred million dollars.
Now the Dominica fool is taking about spending more than a billion dollars to build some kind of airport he claimed.
After Argyle was completed Ralph insulted him by sarcastically saying I hope prime minister Skerrit will find time to come and celebrate the inauguration of our airport with us!
Generally speaking I don’t always agree with Dr Gonsalves but this time I agree with him 100%. In fact I am now asking myself if is because his CBI views are different from that of the other passport dealers in the four windward island countries, the reason why he was not brought to Dominica during the last Skerrit decades conference held at viellle case last month
This is not so for your lazy friend liar Skerrit.
He sells it, and can’t even account for the monies.
Billions have not seen the route to our treasury.
A court case is pending.
But Lobourats think they are the patriotic ones! They are selling Ma Dominique away in a brown paper bags and brown envelopes under the table but they are patriotic!
When a lazy and incompetent government has spent twenty-five years in office and cannot come up with a sustainable development strategy to create employment and economic growth, they should be fired! But oh no, Dominicans keep voting the Labour losers in! And as for those old Freedom party heads that hang on to Labour coats tail for favours and position, there is nothing honourable about you leeches like Charles Saverin, Billy Doctrove, Steve Ferrol, Duncan Stowe and the gang! What is in it for me is how you people operate, no love or patriotism for Dominica!
Gonzalez is reflecting a reality that has been echoing on the walls of the Caribbean shores for ages, that these Caribbean islands were and still remains holding pens for the African populations that were brought to slave and develop the international communities, not for personal development of the African populace and the islands,Eugenia Charles was a prime example of that effort and cooperation,she quickly put an end to the African descents uprising of dreadism by implementing the dread act, the freedom and liberty seeked by the breddaz coincided with the neg mawon Kon labbie call,the Genada revolution was another example she sniffed and snitched,Eugenia was all about keeping the slaves and islands status quo,during her time in office, Dominicans started receiving American Visa lotteries, this is the general idea of educational slavery,moving the educated slave descents to the international communities,where they would continue the development of these international communities
All Dominican passports issued since yours truly the illustrious PM Skerrit has been in charge should be invalidated and new passports issued to only persons born on Dominica or those naturalized through legal means. There also should be full accounting for the millions of US dollars taken in from the sales of passports. The United Nations investigators should be brought in if necessary. There are people carrying Dominican passports who do not even know where Dominica is located.
Amen Dr. Gonsalves! Finally a leader with principle.
I agree if you cannot be a somewhat self-sufficient economy without depending on direct foreign investment (though good) it won’t work out for the betterment of the average man. Dominica needs to manufacture and export what we have.