Murder advantage

When de electricity went on Sat-dey night ah realized that ah didn’t check me lamp wick, it ain’t wuk, so ah had to use me cell phone and look foh candle. If How-he Prince read this and see ah not ready foh Hurricane yet, he will be mad with me. But this electricity black-out business not suppose to happen, not after Julian send home de seven (NDP) professionals who according to de Vantage Firm, was running de place to de ground.{{more}} Ah would love them to Add-Vantage, bring back Vantage, again. As bad as Vantage said that team was, apart from some hiccups in 2002, we did not have load shedding since in de mid 1980’s, notice ah did not say during NDP time, ah want to give people like Jewel Huggins and Lennox Morris dey well deserved kodos!

Looking at de PM on TV, like he was padding his way thru, not even de late, great Hudson Tannis could ah give ah better ex-play-nation. One cents an touch ah anger coated with embarrassment coming from him. De whole thing smell ah negligence. Is ah case way every body in de vehicle drop sleep including de driver, nobody to say, “Look de vehicle running off de road”! Meddlesome Lie-Za say that she even hear ah generator has been down now foh over ah year, dey hoping that de Lowmans Bay plant would ah finish to tek up de slack. This is ah national issue, we are burdened with increase fuel prices; de load shedding at Vinlec should mean we burn less current and pay less too, but wait till you see you August light bill, ah will bet that de fuel surcharge foh this month will be higher, When ah ask Lie-Za what she got to say with all dat going on, she ball-out: “Murder Add Vantage”!

WE BIN DEY AH-READY

Oil price gone up to $11.00 ah gallon and ah sorry foh we tail. It ain’t dey no way it suppose to reach yet. What ah can’t tek is de polly-ticks behind de whole thing. Fuel increase is clearly out ah de powers ah any Guv-ah-mint in these parts, dey powerless; all dey can do is to keep de nation informed ah world situation, explain the implications ah de war in de middle east as it will affect fuel prices, and tell the nation the truth that there is no limit to which these fuel increases can reach.

Man over ah year ago when all ah we near-bars was paying more foh fuel with increase after increase, we in SVG were beating our chests how we are paying less than de USA, utter non-cents. Now we can no longer afford to subsidized de prices, and this is understandable, de nation is practically left in shock with de 24% increase. Can you imagine, van drivers on strike foh higher rates and de strike got nothing to do with increase fuel price yet.

Ah don’t think we are using de media effectively enough to educate and inform our people to de real truth. In de absence ah de leather strap, people will have to be told over and over simple things like how to conserve energy. There ought to be less driving around and more walking, car-pooling, why should five people coming from Villa or Ratho Mill every day use three and four vehicles. How to save cooking gas, electricity and so forth. Somebody has to wuk out the e-corn-nah-mix, how ah penny saved hey and ah penny saved dey can accumulate into hundreds ah dollars, so that we can change we life style. But this is wuk foh de Radio Stations, redirect the talk shows, de TV, de Press and de API. API comes on twice ah week foh one hour, if you don’t see de Prime Minister or his ministers reporting on matters that you heard on Radio and TV already, is because dey not on de island. We Nah Bin Dey Ah-Ready?

TV KEANE WAS AH GOOD SON AH DE SOIL

Ah must big-up T.V. Keane, my former Head-teacher at Met-dis school where ah spent two years before going to meet Tommy Saunders. But to fully overs and appreciate TV’s contribution, you must know that he grew up on that rough Middle Street block in Kingstown that extends from The Salvation Army to de Market, not more than 100 yards from end to end. Shake Keane told me that every thing took place on that Block. From Church to Lodge to Rum Shop, ah cook shop with ah hoe-house upstairs; ah Printery, ah Drug Store foh Mc Intosh; Freddy Gonsalves Black Wine, his Bakery and Soft Drinks factory. Matthew Gonsalves Tailor shop, everybody drank tea from ah Ovaltine tin (tea) cup handled by tin-smiths, Batson and Albert Johnson; Miss Williams and Val Cato’s mother had Bakeries too; nuff grocery and rum shops. And then de musicians, Melody Makers and Syncopaters Steel Orchestras; two Brass Bands, de Mc Intosh Brothers (Frankie’s father and uncles) and de Keane’s Band from which Shake de great emerged. TV Keane, as far as ah could recall played ah big instrument that would ah been de Bass, but when we had Singing (music) in school, he uses to play the piano, that’s if de sexy looking (still) teacher, Viola Daisley was not there, note ah did not say Viola John or Pep-see! Ah fraid she get her Lawyer Andrew Cummings to write me on this.

So TV grew up among de humble town folks, poor but pure ambitious parents. Mammy and Daddy Keane were proud black parents and TV’s success is yet another “lickle Black Boy” story. De Keanes mek sure all dey children got ah sound education complete with music. Ah think TV did his secondary stint with Doc Eustace, another I-con in Education, he then went into teaching at Met-dis Primary School. He got his professional training in Trinidad and England and after years in de primary Schools system, wuking from Union Island in de south to Biabou in de north, he moved up into administration, first as Inspector of Schools, next Education Officer and then Permanent Secretary in de Ministry of Education. He also headed the Peace Corps office with distinction and dignity, and don’t’ forget his impeccable dress code, qualities that no doubt enhanced his profile foh ultimate selection to de post ah Deputy Governor General.

De worst thing ever happened to me in dem days, was when TV found out that he and my dad went to school and played music together. He took ah special interest in my ah-fear and you know what dat meant; tek ah hint, he did love to use de strap. He uses to wear glasses, very thick lens, but ah wonder if he really had any problems with his vision sorry sight; ah still trying to figure out how Mr. Keane uses to stand at the top ah de stage and see any one ah we way down in the back ah de school talking; he wore binoculars not glasses.

But if ah had to pick ah list of Pioneers in Nation Building, TV Keane would ah been in de Top Ten. He was ah Lay Preacher too, and ah would be surprised if Saint Peter ain’t done set him up with something to do up dey. May he rest in peace.

And with that ah gone again

One Love Bassy.