South Leeward MP says budget full of theatrics

Member of Parliament for the constituency of South Leeward, Nigel ‘Nature’ Stephenson, has described the 2025 budget as very colourful and “filled with acronyms and theatrics”.

Making his contribution to the 2025 Budget debate on Wednesday, January 15, Stephenson said the EC$1.85 million budget for 2025 presented by Minister of Finance, Camillo Gonsalves, was “designed to try to fool our people”.

Stephenson, who is also a Vice President of the New Democratic Party (NDP), said “ there was a time when the Vincentian people anxiously awaited the presentation of the budget”, recalling they did so “because they knew that in that budget presentation, there was something to look forward to, something that was going to change their lives for the better”.

The South Leeward Member of Parliament recalled that in those days, people were glued to their radios or whatever devices they used, but at present, “ those very people are no longer enthusiastic about the budget, because they do not have any great expectations”.

He said each year the Minister of Finance presents a record budget, but in reality, what the people experience is “ record unemployment, record rise in the cost of living, record rise in crime, and record decline in the standard of living, and the quality of life for the people”.

He quipped- who feels it knows it, and the people know the hardships that they are experiencing.

With respect to his constituency, Stephenson said the budget has no benefit for the people of South Leeward.

He said he believes that on the eve of the general election, the government gives the people “the bare minimum, with the hope of swaying votes”, and he used his podium in Parliament to call for a more equitable distribution of the country’s wealth.