Former Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, after more than two decades at the helm, is now adjusting to a completely different reality following his recent election defeat. With his term of office officially ended, so too have the state-funded benefits that accompany the role — including security protection, official vehicles, drivers, and the machinery of executive transport.
Power Gone, Privileges Gone
During his long tenure, Gonsalves lived under the expected layers of state protection: security details, convoy movements, and government-managed travel arrangements. Those systems exist for the office of Prime Minister — not for private citizens — and the moment a leader leaves office, those privileges naturally expire.
Now outside the seat of government, Gonsalves is in the same position as any former officeholder:
he must fund his own personal security, arrange his own transportation, and move through public life without the institutional shield that once surrounded him.
A Stark Transition After Defeat
The shift has been abrupt. Electoral loss means the former PM no longer has automatic access to:
- state vehicles
- protocol drivers
- protective officers
- priority convoys
- official travel arrangements
These are not lifelong benefits; they are tied to the office — and the office now belongs to someone else.
As a result, Gonsalves may soon need to turn to privately hired protection, should he feel it necessary, paid for from his own pocket. His allies privately acknowledge that such adjustments can be jarring for someone who lived under national security protocols for decades.
Public Reaction: Sympathy, Criticism, and Shrugs
Reactions to Gonsalves’ new circumstances have varied widely:
- Some supporters feel that after so many years in public service, a minimal level of state assistance should continue for safety reasons.
- Critics, however, argue that the conclusion of his tenure also marks the end of the benefits: once the job is gone, so are the perks.
- Others shrug, noting that every former leader eventually returns to ordinary life, and Gonsalves is no exception.
Life After the Motorcade
For the first time in years, the former Prime Minister must navigate life without flashing lights, without state escorts, and without the logistical convenience that accompanies high office. He now enters traffic like any other driver, boards flights without diplomatic transport arrangements, and must plan his movements with private means.
His next steps politically remain unclear. But what is certain is this:
the world he occupied as Prime Minister ended the day he left office, and the adjustments in front of him may prove as significant as the electoral defeat that brought them about.
