Pastors allegedly decline to bless buildings used by NDP 

Two members of the opposition New Democratic Party — a candidate and a spokesperson — say that pastors have declined to perform priestly duties on behalf of the party. 

Kishore Shallow, the NDP’s candidate for North Leeward, raised the issue on April 4 as he opened his constituency office in Chateaubelair. 

Then, Clemroy “Bert” Francois, an NDP spokesperson, also raised the issue on Saturday during a campaign event in Peruvian Vale. 

“… people are intimidated. People are fearful for good reasons and merit because they know this government is a wicked one,” Shallow, a first-time candidate, said at his office opening.

Shallow said he was not “calling out the churches,” adding that “to get a pastor to come and bless this building here this evening, that was a task in itself. 

“And it’s not that the pastors don’t want to come, but even the pastors them afraid of the victimisation that this government would dish [out] to them,” Shallow said.

“The pastors in this country, they have accepted that we are so divided as a people that they themselves have to go into hiding. How unfortunate are we? How unfortunate are we as a people?”

Shallow said this has to change. 

“But let me talk to those who still sitting on the fence and looking for reasons to come over to the New Democratic Party, the party that is going to lead this country to new times, to new prosperity and new opportunities.”

Meanwhile, speaking in Peruvian Vale on Saturday, Francois said Shallow had said he had ‘checked’ three religious leaders to bless the building but none of them agreed to do so.

“And I used the term religious leaders deliberately,” Francois said, adding that the pastors were being asked “to bless the building, not to give a speech. 

“All three of them were afraid to do the work of God, to bless the building,” Francois said. 

He suggested that this alleged fear is pervasive, saying, “We have people in the courts, the lawyers, who will fight and support this government for a wicked vaccine mandate that continues to make the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines suffer.  

“So, we have the priests, we have religious leaders, we have lawyers; we have persons in power, position of authority, who are afraid to do the right thing.”

He said he had heard a woman say at a previous meeting, “‘me nah ha’ nothing but me nah change.’

“We have become accustomed to thinking that we do not deserve the best of treatment, and we do not deserve the best in our own islands, St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” Francois said. 

“We take what they give us, what the Pharisees and the elites of today, the ULP organisation; I call it the cult organisation, whatever they gave you, you satisfied with it.”

Francois said that Central Kingstown MP, St. Clair Leacock, an opposition lawmaker, attended a funeral and other events “where the person, the priest of that particular event, was afraid to acknowledge the parliamentary representative for Central Kingstown who was sitting in his eyesight.” 

“This happen more than one time,” Francois said, adding, “These things are concerning to me.”

Francis said that as SVG moves toward the 2025 election, the question was:

“Are you satisfied that a man will come and tell you, if you ain’t get one today, you get it tomorrow, and if you ain’t get it, your children; but his children, and him and his whole elite, all of them done get it. 

“We are here waiting for supper after 24 and a half years, you’re waiting fuh eat a food to eat,” Francois said.

“But they belly full; they belch. They eat again and they coming and tell you now, ‘Oh, election coming, we going to fix the road. We go give back the lady the place to cook food. We go rehire teachers.”

However, Francois encouraged voters to reject this approach, saying, “No! Enough is enough. And we must think as a people. 

“And we must be saying to ourselves … ‘Is this the St. Vincent and the Grenadines we want where people are afraid? And if the religious leaders, who are protected by God, are afraid to do what they’re supposed to do, do you want to put back a man and a government in place that will continue that?” Francois said. 

“… in this Easter, all I’m asking you, ‘Is that where you want St. Vincent and the Grenadines to go, where we live in fear and where persons that we look up to are afraid to do the right thing?’ 

“Is that what we want? If that’s what you want, that’s not what I want, and I’m sure that’s not what the majority of people want.”

He said Vincentians want “good jobs. We want to be able to work and learn and have pride in ourselves, not waiting on handouts.”

He said Andrew John, the NDP’s candidate for South Windward, where Peruvian Vale is located and party leader Godwin Friday are offering Vincentians “a new life, new hope, a new beginning, back to the days when we were St. Vincent and the Grenadines and all of us were citizens, all of us had the same rights, meritocracy, all of us were entitled to a plate of food, not to hand out”.

General elections are widely expected by November, ahead of the February 2026 constitutional deadline. 

Francois said that the people of South Windward deserve better and urged them to support the NDP and vote for John.

“… he has worked in the community. He is genuine. He will work for you. And he’s not here just to give you handout,” Francois said.