PM to go to parliament with a EC$140m supplementary budget

by Eldonte Samuel

Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves has a “great burden” on his shoulders as he seeks to lead the restoration and recovery efforts in the wake of the devastation by Hurricane Beryl on July 1.
On Thursday, July 18, 2024, he will be going to the House of Parliament with a EC$140 million Supplementary Budget to assist in the relief and recovery efforts.
“I did so two weeks or so after COVID, same thing after the volcanic eruptions… and we will go again to parliament, but do not for one moment think the relief is easy.”
The prime minister said even as he mobilises resources at home, and is grateful for the donations and pledges of financial support from governments, organisations and individuals, mostly abroad, a tremendous amount of money is needed for the recovery and rebuilding, and the government will have to obtain additional loans to help finance the work that needs to be done.

Gonsalves expressed confidence in the resilience of the people of St Vincent and the Grenadines to rise to the occasion in the face of yet another dire set of circumstances.

“I don’t know where all the money is coming from yet, and there’s a great burden on my shoulder as the prime minister,” he said at the “Yet still we rise” Beryl Benefit Concert on Sunday, July 14, 2024, at the Victoria Park.

Gonsalves told the audience at the concert that he was asking God for wisdom and guidance “to see the way, but we have to do it in unity and solidarity.”

His confidence in the resilience of the population is borne out of their response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2021 eruptions of La Soufriere Volcano, and he again stressed the need for unity and solidarity in addressing the challenges.

He explained that this phase of the recovery is not easy, but it is an extraordinary problem that will be overcome.

Gonsalves, who holds the portfolio for Disaster Management in Cabinet, also noted that his confidence and faith are further grounded in the preamble of the Constitution of St Vincent and the Grenadines, which declares faith in God and the respect for the freedom and dignity of all individuals.

He said while the Category 4 hurricane has impacted the entire nation, the current priority is the need to find funds to help those who are homeless.