Wukers treated like dirt

Ah passed thru town last week and ah frighten, Middle Street dat is always bussing wid movement look like storm pass thru. Ah wondered how de street vendors making it. Ah have nothing but praises foh dem vendors; it’s not easy to sit out all day in de open sun trying to mek ah dollar. While we overs way Town Board trying to do, say dey cleaning up de Market and de side walks to mek de town look good, but it is no easy cup ah tea when people got many mouths to feed and dey trying on dey own initiative to mek ends meet, to get kicked around.{{more}}

From Middle Street ah went in by Courts Ltd. Dey was not ah single person shopping on the ground floor; de place M.T. Ah was expecting some laying off in de near future, but if de way de News put it on TV is correct, ah don’t like how Courts drop it. Hey’s ah Company dat made millions pon top ah millions dollars in SVG over de last 10-15 years, and now dat tings slow down, wid ah heart ah stone, dey called up seven wukers, hand dem ah paycheck and tell dem, thanks, yuh may tek yuh bag and leave immediately. Dis sudden dismissal could cause ah heart attack or give people ah nervous breakdown. Ah all time come-plain wid far-reign infestors, de see only de all-mighty dollar. Tek de lacals Greaves, Bonadie and Veira, dem dat ULP did plan to shut-down; tings bad, but dey still carrying dey staff, when women in charge dey’s feelings. Bonadie I overs is on ah shift. Couldn’t Courts have phased out de laying off more humanely, put de wukers on ah “two weeks on, two weeks off” shift system over ah period ah time? Wid far-reign it’s not about love of people or country but love ah money.

DERRICK JAMES IS AH HERO

At least ah could put on ah bright smile dis week ah could write sum-ting good about de men, well one father. We live in a society way de men all-time getting beat up especially fathers, and wid justification. Now dey’s fathers who act de part and dey’s far-dahs who distance dem-selves from ah father’s role. We do have, however, some excellent Dads who deserve medals foh dey role. Immediately ah think of Derrick James, a contractor who is the father of Rodney King. Readers would have seen ah lot ah Rodney in de press lately, way his fellow students at de Community College, hosting ah series ah concerts to raise funds to help Rodney meet de cost of ah kidney transplant operation in T’n’T. And we looking at one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

I know Rodney years before he was born as ole people uses to say. His great-grand parents Uncle Joe and Aunt Rosie uses to live in Murray Village when I was ah youth. Uncle Joe had ah grocery shop in Middle Street way Moussa is now. But de Kings were kind people, and it rub-off pon dey grand daughter, Auntie Julia who runs ah Pre-school at Level Garden, yuh couldn’t find ah gentler lady. We got to know Rodney when our kids attended de Pre-school. His mother, Auntie Roselle wuked at de school and Rodney, den in Primary school, came by at afternoons to assist (play kid games wid de children) until de parents arrived. He was pleasant and mannerly. Ah few years ago, his Mom told us that he was having serious medical problems, it was heart-breaking news foh those ah we who knew him. She had offered to donate ah kidney to him but dey were complications. So, along wid family and close friend, she organized ah few fund raising ventures, but medication foh kidneys is not mauby and cake stuff and de lickle money she made was soon consumed. De plain and simple solution to Rodney’s problem was/is that he needed ah kidney. Out hey people don’t give way dey organs just so, so de picture was looking bleak for poor Rodney.

Alas! SVG’s man of de year, Derrick James, Rodney’s dad boldly came forward, he’s donating one of his kidneys to his son. What ah great father. It was Jesus who said “the greatest love is shown when a person lays down his life for his friend”.

And like everyting is coming to-gather foh Rodney’s good, Guv-ah-mint is coming on board and will bear de brunt ah de cost. And our own Dr Malcolm Samuel now stationed in T’n’T will be part ah de surgery team. Ah don’t think we bigging up Malcolm nuff. He born wid Medicine in his blood stream, his Dad was first ah Dispenser before an economist and Mom ah Nurse. Today Malcolm is among de top surgeons in de region, we almost lost him to de British who wanted to woo him away from the region.

Rodney will need after surgery care that is costly, so if everybody puts in ah dollar, dat would be close to ah hundred thousand. But you could give more, dey dat give to de poor, lend to de Lord. Nah worry it will all come back to meet yuh.

Will somebody tell Lie-Za to leave me alone, she wants me to donate one ah my treasured organs to her. She even drop ah hint way it is located, she pointed between de knee and de hip region. Just when I was about to tell her ah know some-buddy who orders dem, she told me ah don’t overs, foh years she suffering from him-rides (hemorrhoids), and dey acting up again, so she wants ah Anal transplant.

MARLON FRAID HE FAMILY

“What’s in a name” written by Marlon Bute last week was spicey, especially when he roamed thru de whole ah Lowmans, his home village. He big up all his buddies by dey nick-names like “Puss and Peace-ah-man”, but when he reach by his home, he remained silent. Marlon what about Grubby and Dreamers and de ole man, Cattle Head, how come yuh leave dem out man. Yuh could ah hail dem up widout dey knowing is yuh, just do as yuh come-plained, sign ah nom de plume. And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy.

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