Dread Bill, Greedy, Bill, now de Bully Bill

Two weeks ago ah went to de Supermarket and there was no Brown Sugar on de shelf, only White Sugar; one ah de floor wukers who overheard me kicks-in-off asking if de Produce and Commodity Bill was already in force, whispered to me to go in de back and ah will get ah two pounds ah Brown Sugar. Ah went and after explaining that no sugar home to mek baby tea ah got two packs instead ah one.

Early last week ah went back to shop and there was no Sugar at all, neither White nor Black, ah head foh the back, only to be told that ah must check Food City, de same ole Marketing Corp (de Guv-ah-mint) Supermarket. Low and B-hole at Food City there was not only white Sugar on the shelf but when ah went up to de cashier, she offered me two pounds ah Brown Sugar that she had under her cash desk, obviously ration-in-out. Lots ah White Sugar in de shops now.{{more}}

Sugar shortage is not new, but de first thing that running thru me mind is how come Food City alone had Sugar, Browne and White; does this have anything to do with how Marketing Corp is de soul importer ah Sugar? It meks me wonder too, how will this Produce and Commodity Bill, soon to be made Law or Lawless affect us, because de Bill states in section 4, (1a) that “de Minister may assign ah Guv-ah-mint undertaking the Power to organize and effect imports of commodities particularly for de purpose of securing a sufficiency of those commodities essential to de well being of the community”.

Commodity according to de Bill means any article of commerce or trade that can be transported, what ah definition! And who is this Guv-ah-mint Undertaking” likely to be? Marketing Corp of course, ah Corp that can’t even “secure ah sufficiency ah Sugar essential foh de well being of de community”. Ah don’t wan’t Lie-Za in this but she say that ah few weeks ago, Marketing Corp couldn’t buy Diesel fuel foh its vehicles.

Something about this Bill reminds me of the not too distant past when everything was put under Lie-sins. Importers had to go to de Ministry ah Trade, holding in one hand an applications foh permission to import commodities and in de other hand dey party card. Oh boy, did we have shortages ah supplies at the Supermarkets? That stupid move contributed significantly to de down-fall ah de Guv-ah-mint then.

The Produce and Commodity Bill will not meet de approval of the businessmen, dem done accustom to track down dey own markets, select dey Agencies, compare prices and then order dey stuff. De Bill can put to rest all ah those initiatives. Next we question de mad rush to push de Bill in one sitting ah de House where Pah-lie-ah-mint. No public discussion, no consultation with de Business people who will be most affected. Yet we are told that there is no sin-is-star intention in de Bill; in other words the Bill is just ah regular Bully wielding ah bull-wood over you head, who promises you, he doesn’t plan to lash you. Intimidation!

If de Guv-ah-mint was looking foh ah machinery to effect its election promise to pressure de Supermarkets owned by Greaves, Veira and Bonadie as well as de lickle Traders and Traffickers, well congratulations, dey have finally found it in this Bill. But Guv-ah-mints over de years have been made to pay foh dey Bills. Cato’s Labour Party was doing O.K. until he felt that there was too much liberty ah speech and expression so hurry-hurry, he brought ah Dread Bill that sent the Masses scampering all over the town, he had to withdraw de Dread Bill and shortly after de Party was withdrawn from office. Mitchell’s NDP had no opposition and was going good until, he felt that some ah his loyalists needed to be paid off, he brought ah Greedy Bill and de Masses went scrambling all over town; shortly after shelving de Greedy Bill he too was shelved. And now Gonsalves’ ULP after ah brilliant start, dey done pick fight with Argyle residents and Buccament Farmers, dey picking fight with Can-one and Bequia people, and now like dey want to Bully dey way on de mercantile community, dey bringing ah Bully Bill.

Lie-Za done warn me to be careful with what ah write, because de Captain who is logged on to NICE Radio al day, made loose statements about Arms and next thing de Black Squad went at his home only to find that de only Arms Capt Frank had was his Tongue!

Ardon Graham, the Secretary of de Green Party, ah man who gets very emotional ’bout his country went at ah meeting at Buccament and predicted “Blood will run in de streets if ULP does not change its stub-born ways”.

We hear de Green light has been given foh dem to go looking foh his blood first. Graham is known foh making prediction and pronouncements; he is ah former ULP starwart, he led ah ULP Choir at de Glen Jackson’s Christmas Carolling Competition ah few years ago; dressed in cowboy outfit, tall boots and broad rim hat, playing his guitar and Harmonica and singing to his own composition “We want de Guv-ah-mint change foh de Christmas”!

Ardon predicted right at that time, true to form de following year de Guv-ah-mint was changed. Ah think his prediction at Buccament bothering them. Lie-Za add-vice me not to say or predict nothing, but ah will predict something; Tri Tri will mash down de town week after next Monday de 18th September, and not even de Bully Bill could stop dat!

And with dat, ah gone again.

One Love Bassy.