Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09BRIDGETOWN500
2009-08-19 13:42:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Bridgetown
Cable title:  

LEADING ST. VINCENT'S OPPOSITION -- WHAT'S SECOND

Tags:  PGOV PREL XL 
pdf how-to read a cable
R 191342Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7690
INFO EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS BRIDGETOWN 000500 


E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL XL
SUBJECT: LEADING ST. VINCENT'S OPPOSITION -- WHAT'S SECOND
PRIZE?

-------
Summary
-------

UNCLAS BRIDGETOWN 000500


E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL XL
SUBJECT: LEADING ST. VINCENT'S OPPOSITION -- WHAT'S SECOND
PRIZE?

--------------
Summary
--------------


1. (C) Jonathan Peters, the former Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines (SVG) Ambassador to the UN and Minister of Trade
under Sir James Mitchell, met with poloffs to discuss his
plans to run for opposition leader in St. Vincent. This was
his third trip to the Embassy in less than a year, to ask for
financial assistance and assail the politics of the current
government of Ralph Gonsalves -- an indication of the
continuing woeful state of a fractured and penniless
opposition in St. Vincent.

--------------
Race for Opposition Leader
--------------


2. (C) Peters officially entered the ring to become the next
leader of the opposition New Democratic Party to replace
Arnhim Eustace. Peters claimed that Eustace has been
ineffective as leader and that the NDP needs change into
order to challenge Gonsalves. Peters claimed to have the
backing of Sir James Mitchell, the ex-PM who still holds
considerable sway in the country, and under whom he served as
UN Ambassador and Trade Minister. Peters said there was also
a possibility of a 'Compton Scenario' bringing Mitchell back
as NDP leader, akin to the return to power of elder statesman
and ex-PM Sam Compton in St. Lucia. According to Peters,
Gonsalves is following the advice of Venezuelan President
Chavez and intends to be a President for life. The ordering
of Electronic Voting Machines from a company associated with
Chavez is causing worry that the vote could be rigged in the
upcoming election. Plans for redistricting to weaken the
opposition are moving forward, Peters said, and voter rolls
are not as accurate as one would hope.


3. (C) Peters again sought financial assistance from the
USG, noting "it is expensive to run a political campaign in
the Caribbean" and decrying the funding gap between the
opposition and the government, which he said continues to
take money from Taiwan, Venezuela and Iran. Peters claimed
that the nature of local politics forces a level of
corruption due to the low wages paid to public servants, and
the way that the populace expects direct handouts and
assistance from candidates themselves. The government is
often unable to build structural assistance programs at an
institutional level, as the size of the islands tends to
allow for personal contact between constituents and
politicians to drive decisions.

--------------
Comment
--------------


4. (C) Peters' most recent visit continued to highlight the
difficulty of running against the establishment, especially
when it is backed by Venezuelan, Iranian, and/or Chinese
sponsors. Peters repeated the refrain that the current
government is a lackey of the Chavez plot to take over the
Western Hemisphere or an Iranian plot to take over the world,
but more as a means to encourage our financial backing than
any cogent political analysis. This refrain, though,
obscures the more banal reality that most leaders in small
island states simply aren't very discriminating about
accepting financial assistance. Any leader that replaces
Gonsalves would likely do the same thing, or risk being
blamed for leaving money on the table and not doing enough to
help his people -- to say nothing of ensuring a continuation
of his party in government.


GOGGIN