Letter to the Editor
By Nigel A. Lewis
Sir/Madam
There was a time when Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves was regarded as one of the intellectual giants of Caribbean politics, a fierce defender of sovereignty and integration. Today, he seems willing to cast aside that legacy, opting instead to pour cold water on the very economic tools that have empowered small states in the Eastern Caribbean.
His recent public comments, disparaging the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programs of fellow OECS member states, arrive at a curious moment. Just as MSR Media and its CEO, Philippe Martinez, are engaged in a campaign to discredit those very programs. Though there is no evidence that Gonsalves endorses Martinez or his untested claims of corruption, the overlap in message is disturbing.
Let us consider the facts. St. Kitts and Nevis pioneered the modern CBI program in 1984. Since then, these programs have become essential lifelines for countries like Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, and Saint Lucia, helping fund roads, schools, hospitals, and housing. These are real benefits, felt by ordinary people, especially by the Black majority populations across the region.
Indeed, the Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, Timothy Antoine, has publicly acknowledged the importance of CBI revenues to the fiscal stability and development of OECS countries. In several statements, he has emphasized that these programs, when properly regulated, are not only legitimate but necessary. His support underscores what regional leaders like Prime Minister Gonsalves seem to have forgotten. These programs are not just about revenue. They are about resilience.
That is why Gonsalves’s public criticisms, delivered without evidence and without the courtesy of regional consultation, are so damaging. They may play well in certain international circles, but they come at the expense of trust, unity, and opportunity here at home.
More troubling still is the broader context. Mr. Martinez, who leads the charge against CBI, has a criminal record that includes a fraud conviction in France for which he was sentenced to five years. He spent 41 months in U.S. immigration detention and served an additional six months in France. Since then, he has attempted to cloak himself in the garments of a whistleblower, filing lawsuits and issuing press releases that grab headlines but collapse under legal scrutiny. His much-publicized RICO lawsuit in the United States was withdrawn. His judicial review case in St. Kitts was dropped just before trial.
Yet, into this circus walks Prime Minister Gonsalves, a man of Portuguese descent who has built a long career speaking to and for Caribbean people. And now, with the credibility of our economies on the line, he chooses not to defend regional instruments but to weaken them. This from a leader whose own party lost the popular vote in the last general election and whose political standing appears increasingly precarious.
My own Prime Minister, the Honourable Gaston Browne, was right to rebuke him. Antigua and Barbuda’s CBI program is built on transparency and due diligence. So too are those of our OECS neighbours. Are there challenges? Certainly. But we do not answer them with reckless remarks or political grandstanding. We answer them with reforms, regulations, and regional cooperation.
The Eastern Caribbean cannot afford this kind of careless leadership. The EC dollar, our regional credibility, and the livelihoods of thousands are at stake. Prime Minister Gonsalves should know better. He once did.
Sincerely
Nigel A. Lewis
St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda
The views expressed are not those of Asberth News Network