Ah breath ah fresh air

Last week when ah read way Police Commissioner Miller was quoted as saying dat de exit of a number ah officers from de Force soon to tek place, was ah breath ah fresh air, right away ah tek in ah deep breath, den ah breed-put, MT me lungs dry, ah stop breathing, some thing tell me, “hold yuh breath, dat air polluted, it full ah car-burn die-axe-hide and car-burn man-axe-hide”!{{more}} How could it ever be ah breath ah fresh air when de most respected senior officer in de force, Deputy Commissioner Christopher is belittled and sent to ah strange appointment, “advisor to de advisor (sir-vin-sin) to de minister responsible foh security”. And ASP Hackshaw de force’s most experienced personnel in Administration. He goes to de Ministry of Education to organize ah security system throughout de schools.

Maybe ah should remind Bro Miller dat when de ULP took Office dey gave us more dan ah breath, was ah Axe-ygen tank full ah fresh air. First dey went foh Carlos James, Deputy Comptroller at Customs, dey sent him down Lickle Two-key-owe foh “Ah breath ah fresh air” to weigh fish, remember Carlos did refuse to divulge info wid de Ships Registration to de ULP when in opposition. Peggy De Freitas, de Post Mistress General, woman trained in Customs & Excise and VAT. She discovered Cook-cane in ah package and sent foh de Police straight away, in return was sent home foh four months leave foh “Ah breath ah fresh air”. On resumption she was transferred to Agriculture foh more fresh air. De PS Stapleton gave out wuk to ULP as well as NDP supporters, dey put some F-note under Stapleton, he went straight to Dr Garraway foh ah pregnancy test before going down by de Printery foh his breath ah fresh air.

And Bro Miller, yuh remember dat breath ah fresh air we got when de air-freshener went over to Vinlec, was Lay-cock de cheerman, Arm-In’s wife de Accountant, Engineer Len Morris and de rest even de manager Huggins. Don’t talk bout dat nice Rid-yuh Station dat linching every Tom, Dick ‘n ‘ Harry, polluting our Nice breath ah fresh air. Dug-he and linch get so much ah Sue, is like de running ah Sue-Sue Hand at de steer-shun. Yuh know ah nearly forget de wukers on de road-side and watchmen at Guv-ah-mint buildings, some six hundred ah dem, ah Comedian tek dat and mash down de place one night when he told de crowd bout dis Trinny who was boasting to de Vincy and Bajan dat in T’n’T, dey got ah doctor who would do ah heart transplant on ah guy and in two weeks he back out to wuk. De beer-john say: “mar, dah’s nutten mar, in Bo-bade-us we got ah doctor, he tek out yuh pendix dis morning and tomorrah morning, yuh back on de wuk”. Well de Vincy will not be outdone, he say : “Hush R-yuh mouth, we gat ah dactah in Sin-Vin-sue, we put he in office one day and de next day half de country was out ah wuk”! was only six hundred, but dat was no easy breath ah fresh air!

SPORTS GETS ITS FRESH AIR

De real breath ah fresh clean air came wid de announcement dat SVG will host an International Tournament later dis year. Players will come from as far as Russia, some two hundred athletes will grace our shores and tennis courts. Dis says ah lot foh SVG tennis administrators, kudos foh president Tony Boyea, ah man who’s calm, cool, no glamour, he strolls around wid ah natural insignificant air and ear. No doubt past president Grant Connell would have done some ground work on dis project, who ever dey are and what ever dey doing, is certainly ah breath ah fresh air.

And Park Hill getting ah top ah de line sporting complex is more dan ah breath ah fresh air. Way de youths and sports and health are concerned, dis country will be well served with fresh air when dey is ah top ah de line sporting facility in all ah dem depressed rural communities.

CRIME FINALLY HITS ME VILLAGE

Yuh know how many times when ah write bout crimes and murders ah does be tempted to say dat my community, Murray Village is high on de list foh recording its first murder. Only two houses below me is ah group ah youngsters dat assembly every day wid nothing to do. Dey not lazy or worthless, but is nothing dey foh dem to do. Some ah dem went secondary school but de Employment Re-value-shun aint start yet so is any lickle job dey get to do around de village, trimming ah yard, painting ah house, dey will mop it up in no time foh whatever dey get.

Every once in ah while de police vehicle will come and pick up one or two ah dem, but by evening dey will be back home. And den of course de top Village is much de same thing, lots ah young men on de road all day, nothing to do except drink, smoke and sky-lark. Dees are youngsters wid ambition, ask Senator Julian Francis, he sponsors ah football team ah youngster from among dem; dey would find dem-selves in Football Leagues all over de place to play, but have no real source ah income.

Sat-dey night Satan finally got thru de Culzac family. Two brothers, Michael who is troublesome when he drinks or smokes, and who would have spent ah few vacations wid Supt. Rodriques, got into an argument wid his brother Ken, de opposite, ah night-watchman, ah part time butcher, one who walks within the line ah de law. According to de news, Michael was struck wid ah piece ah plank and succumb to his injury.

It is painful as ah know dem from babies, Michael was ah man willing to wuk when he found ah job. When he couldn’t find wuk and wanted quick money, he uses to visit de villagers mango and breadfruit trees and help himself to ah sack full, head foh de market, sell dem and den head foh Paul’s Lot. Sounds terrible but dat’s de fact ah life and de cross dat de average youngster now-ah-days got to bear.

Way dees youths are concerned, we got so much wuk to do in dis country dat any form ah training be it skills, sports or whatever would be welcome like ah breath ah fresh air and wid dat ah gone again.

One Love Bassy.