Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves made no secret in the last election that it was time to move on. The 74 year-old, who has served for 20 years, is now looking towards his retirement and he wants his son to take his place.
His recent decision to build a luxury mansion on the Windward side of the island, complete with swimming pool sparked criticism at the time that he is distancing himself from working people. Rumours have also started to spread that he is considering a move to Miami.
Camillo has long been suspected of taking over from his father. Ralph sees his son as not only the heir to his political tradition, but his way of keeping a strong hold over the ULP and Vincentian politics.
Like the rest of the Gonsalves family, Camillo’s positions in life have been a gift from his father. He had numerous diplomatic positions throughout the CARICOM and went on to become a permanent representative at the UN, a representative body his sister now works at.
Ralph’s decision to appoint his son as his successor in the Ministry of Finance back in 2017, was the clearest sign that Ralph’s intentions are to hand the Prime Ministership to his son.
Camillo has had a questionable record during his tenure as Finance Minister; he has failed to build the hospital at Arnos Grove but has committed money to the building of Parliament. He famously hid the Poverty Report for 3 years, which showed poverty among the population has risen from 30.2 per cent in 2018 to 36.1 per cent in 2018, because it evidently showed him in a poor light.
Yet none of this will matter to his father. That’s because Ralph wants to keep his grip tight on Vincentian politics both from his luxurious home here and abroad. At a time when this country needs strong leadership to bring economic recovery and employment, Ralph is leaving with his son and heir, who doesn’t care for working people.