A ring of local journalists in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) are alleged to be linked to foreign-hired consultants who were on the island as part of one political party’s strategic communications planning in preparation for the upcoming elections, the St. Vincent Times has learned.
The St. Vincent Times has also learned that at least several disinformation campaigns are planned for key government officials, members of the Taiwanese Embassy, and important projects such as the new Kingstown Port Development and Sandals Resort Development.
According to well-placed sources, meetings were held with foreign political operatives at a private location on the outskirts of Kingstown during July and early August, when the consultants visited St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The source indicated that some parts of the disinformation campaign have been launched. It is alleged that the foreign election engineering firm is testing the ground with a very small part of the suggested “groundswell guerilla campaign” ahead of the 2025 elections to show its local employers what they can do when the time comes closer to the election.
A leaked record of a document circulated at one of the meetings points to targeting young voters as part of the “advanced persuasion methodology” to discourage young Vincentians from voting.
“Surgical propaganda attacks targeting key officials and projects”, linked to the government, including the Sandals Resorts Project and the new Kingstown Port, as part of their efforts to cause disruptions or smoke screens leading up to elections in 2025
The St. Vincent Times has learned that the foreign group has suggested “intercepting communications at the local Taiwan Embassy” as part of their operation and “hiring local journalists and media entities”, who will publish and circulate information prepared by the foreign election engineering firm.
It is not clear who the local journalists and media outlets identified as part of the planned “groundswell guerilla campaign are, but sources are pointing to at least a number of journalists, one linked to a popular newspaper and another to an online news site. It is not confirmed whether any radio broadcasters are linked to the ring of journalists who are considered to be “under special assignment” or contract.
According to the source, the pitch made by the foreign election engineering firm suggested that the local persons under special assignment could “plant our stories to create disinformation” and “circulate anonymous messaging” using web applications and telecommunications tools.
The St. Vincent Times can confirm seeing a list with special considerations for appointments, with at least one local journalist listed for a high-level diplomatic appointment overseas, if the government is to change. It is not clear whether that particular journalist is among the persons listed as being “under special assignment”.
The source suggested that at least one passport-selling firm or Citizenship By Investment Firm and persons connected to a group out of China are jointly funding the early test operation in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
In recent years, we have known of consultancy firms working in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, including the confirmation by Scherzando Karasu, a former employee of Strategic Communication Laboratories (SCL). At the time, Karasu, a freelance writer and former Associate Publisher Asia Pacific at the Financial Times, confirmed to Searchlight Newspaper that he was employed with SCL as a consultant when he visited a hotel in London where Prime Minister Gonsalves was staying.
The prime minister at the time said he was accosted by the man, whom he believes to be of Middle Eastern descent, in the hotel lobby where he was staying. Karasu had told the local Searchlight Newspaper that the engagement “was extremely deferential, respectful, polite, and good-natured from my perspective”, he said.
Other agencies and government officials targeted
Apart from Ralph Gonsalves, who indicated he will return as leader of the ULP in the 2025 Elections, information obtained by the St. Vincent Times confirmed that planned political attacks were suggested to be orchestrated against key projects and diplomatic allies who are in support of the governing ULP and target constituencies including North Windward, South Central Windward, East St. George, West St. George, and North Leeward.
Several of these constituencies are held by key ULP party officials, including Deputy Political Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Montgomery Daniel; at least two prospective candidates for leadership, Saboto Caesar and Camillo Gonsalves; Deputy Chairman of the ULP, Curtis King; and Assistant General Secretary of the ULP, Carlos James.
According to the information, destabilizing the support from Taiwan to St. Vincent and the Grenadines will heighten the ULP’s chances of losing the next general elections constitutionally due in November 2025.
It was revealed that planned protest action against the Sandals project and disruptions to its scheduled completion must be considered if opposition forces stand a chance of winning at the polls.
While St. Vincent Times cannot confirm whether operatives who found themselves here are linked to SCL or CA Strategic Communications groups, the location of meeting places, documents, and hotels where the consultants are believed to have stayed was brought to the attention of St. Vincent Times.
