Ah lot ah-salt passed

MANY MOONS AGO ah Police Sergeant name L.O. Primus came to our school to tell us about de Police. When he was finished we were all quite clear about our Police, his/her role and function in de community. Primarily s/he was there to protect law abiding citizens, preserve de Law, contain de unruly ones as much as possible and mek arrests when it is totally necessary. S/he was really ah Preventative Officer and was expected to defend his/her self and not attack in hostile situations. De subject of beating up and kicking up or torturing citizens was described as illegal.{{more}} Is de same way when ah was head ah de Public Servant Union dey told me dat ah Peaceful Demonstray-shun was an effective way of getting de members’ grouses and grievances out. Use it effectively with yuh placards, chanting, singing and loud speakers, do not break de Law, avoid confrontations or physical wrangling with yuh employer or de Police. Registering yuh protest and getting yuh message across is what its all about.

Now ah was not there on Friday when de NDP had dey Demon-stray-shun so is only hear-say ah dealing wid, good hear-say. Let me say up front, dat Dollar Tax is ridiculous and unfair to Grenadines People and de Opposition should ah done challenge de legality of it all in Courts long time. Dey should be given ah choice, those who want to use de facility at de Port must pay de Dollar Tax and those who don’t who just passing thru to de boat should not pay. Anyhow Lie-Za was dey on Friday foh de whole day with de Demon-stray-shun.

It was peaceful and uneventful up until it was time foh de folks of Bequia to return. At dat point I feel dat dey would have registered dey protest and made dey point, dey should ah pack up dey placards and pay dey Dollar Tax and go home. But ah believe dat de strategy was foh dem to see how effective de protest was, so dey headed foh de gate as ah test-run to see if de Dollar Tax was still in force, dey were stopped by Police. From de time de protesters were prevented by Police from entering, somebody from de party should ah come forward and pay de dollar tax foh all. Ole people say ” any man dat hit and run live to hit de next day”!

According to Lie-Za, after de clash ah lot Ah-Salt throw from both sides. De older and more experienced and ah must add more sensible Police on duty, resorted to containing de crowd without using excessive force, but de younger, misguided new-comers had other I-dare. Senator Cummings got ah fist-full ah-Salt in his mouth and he throw back ah fist full AhSalt too. An 70-year-old Granny got ah Guv-ah-mint boots full Ah-Salt in her belly dat sprawl her out on de ground and MP Lowreign Friday got ah sock AhSalt dat throw him down pon his knees.

Arm-In will have to do his homework nex’ time. When he organizing Demonstray-shun, he got to remember ah couple things.

He got to walk wid ah Human Shield; `member when ULP did block de road and de Police was moving in presumably to arrest de PM who was den leader ah de Opposition, he called on his supporters to “form ah human shield around me Comrades”! And secondly he need an expert from Virginia like Sir Louis to block off all traffic, “mek it tight like ah Virgin”! according to Sir Louis. Other wise Bro Arm-In too much Ah-Salt go pelt!

AH BIG STONE IN ME SIDE

Somebody sent Lie-Za an E-mail, one ah dem Anecdote dat she passed on to me with ah lickle note at de bottom. Dis fellar was speeding down de Highway in his BMW, lost in his own world listening de heavy sounds blasting thru his system, when all of ah sudden ah stone slammed into de side ah his Car; his sharp eyes caught ah shadow disappearing in de bush. Mad like Satan he backed-up his car only to find ah frightened lickle boy, he was hysterical and was pointing down-hill. In ah raging voice de driver demanded an explanation. Between fear and tear, de lickle boy explained his predicament, dat he was pushing ah wheel-chair with his brother in it, he lost control and de wheel-chair, brother and all crashed down de gully. He continued to explain dat he was there foh ah while signaling everyone dat passed to stop to assist him, but no one even looked his way. He finally felt dat de only way he might attract someone’s attention, was to throw ah stone on de next vehicle dat passed. De lickle fellar’s explanation was more dan enough to softenup de driver; hurriedly he went to de crippled brother’s assistance, he was in pain with bruises and scratches all over, it was too much foh de driver to contain himself; he broke down in tears. Gently he lifted de lickle fellar back into his wheel-chair, pushed him uphill back on the road and accompanied de two lickle boys back to dey home. Stunned, he walked back to his car and examined de fairly large dent in de side. He thought foh ah while and decided not to repair de damage: “Think ah will leave it there to remind me when ever ah driving along, to look out foh others who might be in danger and need my help.”

Ah nice lickle story dat. So many of us become lost in our-selves as we drive pass along “Life’s Highway”. We have become obsessed with Material things, Power, Greed, it’s now all about Us while so many less fortunate brothers and sisters standing on the side ah de Highway signaling foh help, we have no time to spare to even look at dem. So let us not wait foh ah stone to slam into our side to mek we mash de brakes.

Dat Lie-Za is too miserable foh me. She put in ah lickle foot-note dat said: ” it will tek more dan ah big stone in some ah we we side to cool we down and remind us dat all Power comes from Jah”! And before ah get ah stone in foh me side, ah gone again.

One Love Bassy.