Is the Chamber of Commerce “Playing Polly-ticks”? Ah sure ah read somewhere that the Prime Minister say he will welcome I-dare and suggestions from the progressives, Journalists, Columnists and whoever think they got ah bright eye-dear.

Ah overs that Chamber ah Commerce in good fate submitted ah contribution long before the PM made his invitation, at least the Chamber represent business, them closest to the fire, them suppose to feel the heat first and therefore could give the PM ah reading ah the temperature. {{more}}So they prepared ah document, and in it they came out bold and charged de Guv-ah-mint with ah few un-fair-foh-able comments, one of which was that ah number ah Guv-ah-mint projects were done foh pull-it-tek-all mileage and not necessarily in the best interest in the overall development ah the country, or words to that effect.

Lie-za, with her smart self, is asking how on earth the PM didn’t see all them kind ah allegations when he read the document, she wondering if he did even bother to look at the Chamber’s presentation.

There’s no way the Chamber would ah getaway with that if he did see it. But when the Leader ah the Opposition tek it mek mileage in the Budget Debate, the PM immediately pulled de Chamber over the coals! Quite rightly he demanded proof or further explanation.

Lie-Za was saying if even they didn’t have proof, they could ah bluff ah lickle bit and play foh time, even to mek them-selves look like men who are serious bout the way the country running. But the way de Chamber withdrew the statement so quickly is like they got ah all-to-meet-um: “explain by sun-down or withdraw it, or else!!!

Now as come-messy as Lie-Za is at times, she say that if the Chamber could mek ah statement like that, knowing they didn’t have proof, then dey Playing Polly-ticks!

And if they mek ah statement like that, and they know they have proof, then they should ah produce the proof and stick to they words. But to run and pull it back like bunny rabbit, that too is “Playing Polly-ticks!

NO ZACKEY HAYES

Well the Blues Festival touches down at Buccama on mainland St. Vincent this weekend. I was thinking of going to see Zackey Hayes but his health is not well, according to young minister Beach, anyhow is ah pity Vincentians won’t get to see him.

Isaac Hayes belongs to my generation, he came ah year after me in 1942, but his career is so colourful that it would ah been good Soul-spiration foh our young and upcoming musicians to hear the man and indeed hear ah bit about the great Zackey Hayes, Shaft, Black Moses or just Mr. Soul Man. he came out ah the Black Struggle, he took part in the marches with Martin Luther King.

Zackey’s parents died before he was twelve years ole; as ah youth he survived picking cotton, washing dishes and shine-in shoes on Beale Street. interestingly, later in life he controlled that same street with his music.

We would ah get to hear good piano playing and possibly saxophone too, the two instruments that he mastered. Ah was ah bit worried about the length ah some ah his songs, how they would ah go down with today’s Fast Food and Quick Fix generation. Mack Robertson was reminding me of the good ole days ah Party-in, when you hear the DJ say, “it’s Mr. Soul Man time”, man uses to drop glass, cut conversation and whatever and run to scramble ah partner, cause you know the next dance will be going fuh at least eighteen minutes. You think it was easy then, foh you to stand up alone in ah corner with ah glass in you hand, you done refill it twice, and ah fellar who is not yuh in another corner with your Gal, standing up one place, hug-up-tight say he slow-dancing.

Yes, man, some ah Isaac Hayes Hit Songs were specially done foh slow dance like “Walk on By” (12 minutes), “By the time I get to Phoenix (18 mins), and the one that uses to send lovers crazy was “I stand accused,” that’s the one Mack said he had to sit-out, ah think it was sick-out, cause the DJ played that marathon song twice in succession.

ANTS GO BRING DE NEWS

Did somebody cry out say pull-it-tek-all victim-I-say-shun start? Ah not talking bout the dumping ah some ah them efficient Public Servants one side in ah corner to vegetate!

Ah not even thinking bout how Dinky Bawl-come say order done give out not to hire any ah his trucks to do Guv-ah-mint wuk.

Ah don’t think ah want to mention the non renewal ah the President ah the Family Courts contract. While nobody can’t say is victim-I-say-shun if Guv-ah-mint don’t renew someone’s contract, after all if you contract up, it up; but it meks you think twice when the candidate is Sharon Cummings, the wife of NDP Senator Daniel Cummings. This is ah Jurist who, from all reports, not only gave good service but whose department was able to collect almost ah million dollars in revenue foh Guv-ah-mint last year.

But what Mrs. Cummings ain’t know is that she was wuking in ah environment wuss than ah abattoir, at least in the butcher-stall dey don’t stab the animals in dey back!

Ah lot ah wicked people believe that when night come, God does do like we, go in the shower, bathe, sweeten up He skin, put on He Pee-jam-us, lie down and shut He eye, sleep all night till morning. But that ain’t true at all, God never sleeps, He sees every lickle thing we do or fail to do. And believe me, when He ready to let the paymaster collect, mankind will think is Owe-bee-yah! there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth wuss than Saddam and Go-morrow. Nothing that happening today ain’t happen already; who live the longest will see the most, if by chance you ain’t dey round when Retribution reach back round, Ants go bring de news give yuh! All yuh nah tek warning!

And with that ah gone again. One Love Bassy.