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? 
 
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Summary 
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¶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. 
 
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Race for Opposition Leader 
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¶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. 
 
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Comment 
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¶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