Ralph's Trini Bio

Trinidad, in preparation for their big summit, is running biographies of the participants. Here is their squib on SVG's Prime Minister:

Caribbean celebrities are coming
Sunday, April 5 2009
Prime Minister of Saint Vincent
and the Grenadines
Assumed office March 29 2001
Born: August 8 1946 (1946-08-08) (age 62)
Colonaire, Saint Vincent, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Political party: ULP
Spouse: Eloise Gonsalves
Religion: Roman Catholic
Ralph Everard Gonsalves also known as “Comrade Ralph,” is the Prime Minister of St Vincent and the
Grenadines. He has held that position since March 29, 2001. He is leader of the Unity Labour Party, and won
the 2001 general elections by a landslide of 12 seats to 3, after a close run in the 1998 elections. He was re-
elected in the December 2005 elections with the same parliamentary ratio.

He first entered political life as a student at the University of the West Indies at Mona, Jamaica; in 1968, as
president of the Guild of Undergraduates, Gonsalves led the student protest at the banning of popular historian
and intellectual Walter Rodney.

Gonsalves received his PhD in political science from UWI, Mona, and went on to receive a law degree from the
University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados before returning to practice law and become an active
politician in his homeland.

Gonsalves, however, has faced criticisms on several fronts:

The introduction of the Value Added Tax
Some critics have faced court cases leading outside observers to question the validity of freedom of speech in
St.Vincent
The relocation/dislocation of nationals from some areas in the name of development
Dr Gonsalves’ son was appointed ambassador to the united nations,leading to allegations of nepotism.
More recently he has been faced with two serious rape allegations.


To his credit, however, Dr Gonsalves is responsible for the “Revolution in Education.”
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