Defeated Member of Parliament Carlos James has raised alarm over what he says is the sudden displacement of scores of public sector workers, claiming that approximately 150 employees attached to the Ministry of Housing have received letters and are now without jobs. Speaking publicly on the issue, James said he is seeking clarity on the legal basis for sending the workers home and questioned whether the government has effectively discontinued the housing programme under which they were employed.
James said the affected workers were not given clear explanations and that many are now facing uncertainty about their livelihoods. He argued that if a programme has been halted or altered, the government has a duty to explain the process, the legal justification, and what provisions, if any, are being made for those who were engaged under it. According to James, the situation has left families anxious and workers confused, particularly in the absence of official statements addressing their status.
The Former MP said the issue of the housing workers was one of the main questions he attempted to raise in Parliament, but the question was rejected in the House of Assembly. He described the rejection as troubling and accused the government of avoiding accountability by relying on procedural barriers. James claimed that instead of answering straightforward questions, the administration is, in his words, “hiding behind the Speaker,” whom he accused of repeatedly blocking questions he says are of national importance.
In addition to the housing matter, James said he also sought answers on wider regional and international issues, including recent developments in United States immigration policy. He pointed to what he described as a significant expansion of the US government’s third-country removals policy, under which non-citizens are deported to countries other than their place of origin through Third-Country Agreements. James warned that such policies could have serious implications for Small Island Developing States like Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as the wider OECS and CARICOM, particularly in light of the region’s tiered system of free movement of people.
He argued that these are not abstract or academic concerns, but real issues that could affect national security, social services, and regional cooperation. According to James, Parliament is the proper forum for these matters to be raised and debated, and blocking questions only weakens democratic oversight. He said Vincentians deserve transparency, both on domestic employment matters and on international policies that may directly impact the country.
James maintained that the rejection of his questions does not make the issues go away, adding that the government must eventually account for its decisions. He said he will continue to press for answers on the fate of the housing workers and on the broader policy questions he believes are being sidelined, insisting that accountability to the public should not be sacrificed for political convenience.
