KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, CMC – Opposition Leader Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has appointed two members of his former cabinet as opposition senators in the new Parliament, which formally opens on Tuesday.
Gonsalves, whose Unity Labour Party (ULP) was voted out of office in November. Twenty-seven, as it sought an unprecedented sixth consecutive term in office, hinted that neither he nor the two senators, Carlos James and Keisal Peters, might attend Tuesday’s ceremonial opening of Parliament.
James, the former minister of tourism, civil aviation, sustainable development, and culture, was defeated by the current West Indies Cricket president, Dr. Kishore Shallow, for the North Leeward seat, as the New Democratic Party (NDP) won a 14-1 majority in the election.
Peters, who created history by becoming St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ first female minister of foreign affairs, failed to unseat the NDP’s Daniel Cummings in West Kingstown, who was re-elected to a fourth consecutive term.
Gonsalves announced the senatorial appointments in a social media video on Monday in which he extended Christmas greetings and promised to address national issues.
“And there are many of them to talk about, but now is not the time for that. Now is the time for love and brotherhood and sisterhood and good neighbourliness and solidarity,” said Gonsalves, who was prime minister from March 2001 until last month’s polls.
He said that Peters was in New York with her mother, who is recovering from an operation.
“And I am not sure whether I will be at the first sitting of the Parliament, the formal opening of Parliament, to take the Oath of Allegiance, nor am I sure that Carlos would be there, too. There are some security matters which have to be worked out,” Gonsalves said, but did not elaborate.
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