Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves on Fake News and Elections

Introduction to the Issue

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, CMC -Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves says recent fake news content, including one in which he suggests how to get money from a fake government program, is part of the efforts to unseat his ruling Unity Labour Party (ULP) in the next general elections.

Voters here are widely expected to go to the polls in November to elect a new government ahead of the February 2026 constitutional deadline.

The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Fake News

“You notice where they have gone with it now. They have gone AI (artificial intelligence),” Gonsalves said of the latest fake video, which shows Gonsalves on a body that’s not his, with a voice that somewhat resembles the prime minister’s.

In the video, the Gonsalves look-alike was having an “interview” with a woman playing the role of a journalist about how members of the public could get money from a fake government program.

Gonsalves said the AI-generated voice did not capture his “twang” but suggested it would improve with time, adding, “They can’t get it yet right, but they are still fooling some people.”

Allegations of a Wider Plot

Gonsalves had earlier suggested that the articles and video were part of a wider plot involving foreign entities, such as China and supporters of the opposition New Democratic Party’s (NDP) citizenship by investment (CBI) proposal.

“And some commentators they are paying say, ‘No, it is not AI. That is Ralph,” Gonsalves told reporters without providing evidence to substantiate his claim that foreign entities were paying some media houses and practitioners.

“Imagine, if you pay them money, they go say anything. I’m telling you what is happening,” Gonsalves said, noting that similar fake media content was being produced about his son, Minister of Finance Camillo Gonsalves, who is also the parliamentary representative for East St. George.

Threats of Violence and Intimidation

“…because Camilo is a high-quality person, the son of Ralph, they want to decapitate the whole thing. But I’ll tell you, I know these people, and I want to tell you something: if they see that money ain’t working, AI ain’t working, bamboozling people ain’t working, they will turn to violence.

“And they’re doing with Carlos. Why are they doing it with Carlos (James)? Because that is a close seat from the last election down there,” Gonsalves said of North Leeward legislator, who won his seat in 2020 by one vote after a contentious recount.

“They are going come to Saboto [Caesar], too,” he said of his agriculture minister, MP for South Central Windward.

Citizenship by Investment Program

Gonsalves said that historically, people who want to sell St. Vincent and the Grenadines passports pay a company to run the campaign. The ruling ULP does not favor the CBI program under which foreign investors are granted citizenship of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in return for making a substantial investment in the country’s socio-economic development.

“You had SCL, you had Cambridge Analytica. Well, they went the way of all flesh. But they have the operators still doing under different names.”

Previous Experiences with Fake News

Gonsalves said someone in SCL and Cambridge Analytica said that conjoined, they have beaten every leader and political party except Gonsalves and the ULP and that he has met with “a whistle-blower from among them” who told him, “The money is important, but there’s also a vanity issue.”

Gonsalves said the people had a big poster of him at their office and used to throw darts at the poster of him.

“So when I tell you I know about these fellas, I know who they are, what they are trying to do, and if AI doesn’t succeed, propaganda doesn’t succeed, money doesn’t succeed, they will turn to violence.

Call to Action

“I’m advising you, the people of St Vincent and the Grenadines, not to take any of those kinds of chances,” Gonsalves said, adding that he would be prepared.

“But we have to be in concert with one another. We have to be together. We had to be in communion with one another. You have to give the NDP a licking this year, the likes of which they have never had.”

Gonsalves called on the electorate to beat the NDP more severely than in 2001 when the party moved from eight seats in Parliament to three, which was repeated in 2005 before it won a further four seats in 2010.

NDP’s Stance on China-Taiwan Issue

“They have to be punished for encouraging this nonsense,” he said, adding that the NDP’s “minders” were telling them not to talk about the China-Taiwan issue.

“But they have already decided that if, in the unlikely event, they were to win the election, the day after they are sworn in, they would kick out Taiwan and bring in China.

“And they going start to bring in their legislation to sell the passports and the citizenship,” Gonsalves said.

The NDP announced in 2016 that if elected, it would switch diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing.

Warning to the Public

“You better listen to me what I’m talking about because I don’t want you to say Ralph did know, and he ain’t tell us. I’m telling you, and I’m telling you early, and you’ll hear me with it repeatedly,” he added, “and they will seek to confuse this country.

“You know the metaphor you should look at? An arsonist burns your house and blames the fire brigade,” Gonsalves said.

Recent Scams and Fake News

Recently, Vincentians have fallen victim to scams using fake articles and videos to suggest they can profit from counterfeit investments and government programs.

The fraudulent content has implicated several local and regional media outlets by attaching their logos to the content, thereby giving it a sense of legitimacy to unsuspecting citizens.

Among those who have been the subject of “fake news” is the St. Vincent and the Grenadines correspondent for the Barbados-based Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC), also the managing editor of I Witness News here.

The articles involving Chance began circulating in August after he hosted a radio program. One article claimed that Chance did not know that his microphone was still on and that he had disclosed to former speaker of Parliament and attorney Jome Thomas the “secret” to turning an investment of EC$700 (One EC dollar = 0.37 cents) into a million.

The fake news article claimed that while the original “hot mic” “disclosure” had been deleted, the authors of the article had a copy and detailed in the article how people could duplicate Chance’s alleged success.

Some citizens also interpreted the fake news article as suggesting that Chance had died, and the journalist received several calls from people who wanted to confirm that that was not the case.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has warned the public about the dangers of fake news and its potential impact on the upcoming elections. He has also accused the opposition NDP of being involved in a wider plot to unseat his government and has called on the public to be vigilant and not to fall for scams and fake news.