North Leeward New Democratic Party (NDP) candidate Dr. Kishore Shallow has delivered one of the most blistering attacks yet on the Unity Labour Party government, accusing Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves and his Cabinet of indulging in what he calls “political masturbation” with a $100 million bill passed in Parliament last Thursday.
Speaking before a charged crowd at an NDP village meeting in Barrouallie, Shallow dismissed the massive financial request as nothing more than a self-serving stunt.
“This $100 million was not for the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines… that was simply self-love from the government. It is about satisfying themselves,” Shallow declared, drawing roars of approval from supporters.
The finance expert, who holds a doctorate in Business Administration specialising in Financial Management, didn’t mince words as he told voters how to respond to the government’s spending.
“When they come around with their nonsense, tell them don’t come and play any fool with you. Tell them to go and play with themselves.”
Linking the Bill to the PM’s Birthday
The next night, at a rally in South Central Windward for fellow NDP candidate Israel Bruce, Shallow sharpened the sting, tying the $100 million bill to Prime Minister Gonsalves’ 79th birthday, also on August 8.
“The Prime Minister gifted his government $100 million on his birthday… he might as well have taken a birthday cake to Parliament as well,” Shallow said, to laughter and applause.
A ‘Family Business’ Mentality
Shallow also took aim at the country’s fiscal leadership, accusing the government of nepotism and reckless economic management.
“When the Prime Minister brings his son from the USA or wherever… and without any background in finance, makes him Minister of Finance, what do you expect? They are running this country like a family business.”
He said the move was emblematic of a government more interested in protecting its inner circle than in sound economic policy.
NDP’s Alternative Vision
Positioning the NDP as the party of economic reform, Shallow pledged to diversify the nation’s revenue base and end the cycle of dependency on foreign loans.
“Rather than having to beg and borrow loans from all over, an NDP government will find means to generate more revenue,” he vowed, identifying sports and the “new economy” as engines for national transformation.
For Shallow, “political masturbation” has become more than a colourful phrase, it’s his metaphor for a government he claims is obsessed with self-gratification, blind to the real struggles of Vincentians, and incapable of delivering meaningful growth.