Vincypowa News | Power to the People
Op-ed · Kingstown, August 13, 2026
You Do Not Owe a Political Party Your Silence
The louder you argued for a party, the harder it becomes to admit something is not working. That is not weakness. It is sunk cost, and it operates on every side of Vincentian politics.
Before the election, Vincentians were repeatedly warned that the NDP was not ready to govern. They were warned that years in Opposition had not produced a sufficiently prepared government-in-waiting. They were warned about the lack of governmental experience, the quality of the leadership, the promises being made and whether those promises could realistically be delivered.
Some people heard every warning and still said: “We just want a change.”
Fine. They got the change. But now that the NDP is actually governing, some of the very people who helped put them there are seeing things they were warned about unfolding before their own eyes.
The Trap of the Public Commitment
Researchers who study decision-making describe two closely related patterns. The first is the sunk cost effect. Once we have invested heavily in something, whether money, time, reputation or public argument, we become reluctant to walk away, not because the thing is working but because we have already put so much in.
The second is cognitive dissonance. When the evidence in front of us clashes with a position we have publicly defended, the discomfort is real, and it is often easier to reinterpret the evidence than to revise the position.
Put those together and you get a predictable political trap. The louder somebody argued for a party, the harder it becomes for that person to say plainly that things are not going well. Admitting the problem would also mean admitting they got something wrong in public, in front of family, friends and a Facebook audience.
So instead of speaking out, they rationalise.
Instead of demanding better, they blame the former government.
Instead of admitting disappointment, they lower the standard.
Instead of saying “I got this wrong,” they defend more aggressively than before.
None of that is a character flaw peculiar to NDP supporters. It is ordinary human psychology, and it operates on every side of Vincentian politics.
The Same Trap, the Other Colour
What Is Actually in Front of People
This is not an abstract argument. There are figures on the table.
On electricity, the VINLEC fuel surcharge for June 2026 reached $0.7378 per kilowatt hour, described in reporting at the time as a historic high that surpassed the previous local record of $0.7259 set in July 2022. It then rose again in July to $0.8320 per kilowatt hour, an increase of roughly nine cents, even after VINLEC applied a subsidy of EC$734,959. (St Vincent Times, iWitness News, NBC Radio SVG)
To be fair to the government, it has acted. Prime Minister Friday announced relief measures on May 27, waiving excise taxes and customs service charges on diesel used for electricity generation, with VINLEC absorbing part of the surcharge above set thresholds. The Prime Minister said in August that VINLEC had absorbed more than $730,000 for July. (One News SVG, NBC Radio SVG)
That is the honest picture. Measures were taken, and bills still went up. Global oil prices are a real and substantial part of the explanation. But a household reading a bill does not experience an explanation. It experiences the bill.
On crime, One News SVG documented 31 homicide deaths between January 7 and early August 2026, based on its own review of police releases and media reports, and cautioned that the figure is preliminary and may rise. (One News SVG)
And on specific promises, VINCYPOWA has this week asked what became of the delegation of world’s leading investors that Kishore Shallow told North Leeward would arrive in January 2026 following discussions in Dubai.
These are not talking points. They are numbers and dated commitments, and any citizen is entitled to weigh them.
Loyalty to Whom?
The most dangerous moment in politics is when loyalty to a party becomes stronger than loyalty to yourself, your family and your country.
If electricity is hurting you, say it.
If food prices are hurting you, say it.
If crime concerns you, say it.
If the government is failing to deliver what you voted for, say it.
If you believe the NDP was not as prepared as you thought, say that too.
There is no shame in admitting that you made a political judgment that has not worked out as you hoped. Every serious person has done it. The greater mistake is seeing the evidence with your own eyes and defending poor governance because admitting the truth would cost you pride.
And the point is not that anybody should switch sides. You can support the NDP, want it to succeed, and still say plainly when something is not working. In fact, that is the most useful thing a supporter can do, because a government that hears only applause has no way of knowing what needs fixing.
You do not owe any political party your silence.
A government is supposed to work for you. You are not supposed to suffer quietly to protect the government you helped elect. And if the NDP is not delivering what you were promised, then saying so does not make you a traitor.
It makes you a citizen holding your government accountable.
Vincypowa News · Power to the People