More in de mortar

Ah got quite ah few calls last weekend from some really concerned citizens, asking if ah had read Luke Browne’s letter published in de “Vincentian” last week, way he tore into Building and Loan’s broad-side or was it back-side. Ah couple callers felt dat dey was enough damn-age in Luke’s letter to create ah stamp-heed, dat could ah cause shareholders to storm Building and Loan’s office on Monday and withdraw dey money. {{more}}

It is never wise to beat up pon de messenger as in Luke’s case, because ah get de feeling dat dey’s “More in de mortar dan just de pistle” in dat letter.

Lie-Za asked me if ah ain’t notice lately de amount ah properties being sold by Building and Loan. So ah had to reason wid her dat de recession in SVG is real, and all ah de lending institutions, banks, Building and Loan ‘et al’ tun beast, dey selling out properties left right and centre, only people who default and owe pon dey mortgages foh years and can’t pay.

But Luke came out shooting from de hips, from cap-tin to crook, like in de days ah de Wild Wild West! Lie-Za say she ain’t know how far back he went wid his research, but Luke had access to de facts. She recalls not so long ago, talk on de street was dat de Organization was managed by ah Board ah Directors dat functioned like ah Die-nasty, ah farm-ally ah cousins and brother-in-laws, dey didn’t behave good at all.

She find it strange dat Luke was also very critical ah de skills ah de new manager, Earl Crichton ah former banker, but she overs how is dat same new manager who slam on de brakes and stop de vehicle from going over de cliff!

Lie-Za reminds me also, dat Luke himself, is like ah Building and Loan baby, he was awarded ah Building and Loan Scholarship (purely on merit) foh Secondary School up to A-level College. His Dad served on de Board ah Directors up until he took ill about eight years ago, added to dat, some ah Luke’s relatives, at different times would have served as members ah de Board ah Directors. Dey must be either mad or sad wid Luke. Further to dat, way he wuking at de Ministry ah Finance, he ha to know ah ting-ah-two, so she wondering what could ah triggered off Luke.

All dis time she staring me as though ah got de answers foh her, but ah refuse to comment. Den she shouted out: “Man say something nah!”

Dis is what ah told her: “Luke is ah brilliant young mind, wid knowledge and men-tell N-ah-G dat needs only to be converted into his doc-to-rate. If dey’s anyone out dey who loves our beloved, Luke Browne, please… ah begging you to impress upon de young man to go back to University and finish up his Edge-he-care-shun, before he waste himself away.”

GET DE SCHOOL OUT AH DEATH

Ah believe dat ah might ah mention before dat if dey didn’t have so much ah see-me-dee-me in dey Mass, ah would ah bin ah Cat-lick. My last two kids and some ah my grand-children were fortunate to receive ah well rounded Cat-lick Eddy-care-shun, dey doing ah one-dah-full job! Therefore it pained me when ah read Monsignor Michael “Father Mike” Stewart’s letter to de Searchlight, explaining why St Mary’s school is asking parents to pay ah $200.00 towards de purchase of de building adjacent to de original school building.

Dat $200.00 is chicken feed when one considers dat some Day Care Centres and Pre-schools charging dat amount and more ah month. But ah held me chest when Fr Mike stated dat de school owes de bank and, de mortgage is ten thousand dollars ah month, Like St Mary’s running supermarket.

How do we deal wid dis monster? De first thing dat ah was told is dat St Mary’s R.C. School is ah Government School in ah Catholic building, if dat is so, den de school didn’t have to put dey-self in $1.4 million dollars death say dey buying building to expand school.

Secondly dey paid far too much money foh dat ole building in ah poor locality foh ah school.

Thirdly, whatever became ah de lands at Buccama dat were purchased foh de new St Mary’s school? Bishop Rivas walked from town to Argyle to raise funds to build ah school at Buccama. Now when dey were going to buy those lands, somebody suggested dat an alternative would ah bin to put St Mary’s way de Nuns are at de St Joseph’s Convent, and move de Nuns out to de Convent house at Mespo.

Dat I-dare was thrown so far out de window, dat no one saw way it landed, to even go look foh it. Lie-Za heard about de R.C. troubles and she saying dat Bishop Gordon should sell de lands at Buccama to de Hotel Developers whose interest in de property is high, and who she overs not so long ago, were offering almost four times de value dat St Mary’s paid foh de property.

Maybe dey will pay five times de amount now, yuh never know. Whatever, ten thousand dollars ah month mortgage is foh businesses not ah public school run by de church.

And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

Bassy Alexander is a land surveyor, folklorist and social commentator.