Vote yes bribe money… beware

Lie-Za giving me hell say ah got bref-fruit mentality because ah went to de Bank last Monday and draw-out de $200. “Vote Yes bribe money” dat de Prime Minister gave pensioners to sell-liberate 30 years In-dip-and-dance. She say she know my birthday is on November 9, de day when de school children dem suppose to get dey $200 “bribe money” to tell mammy and daddy “Vote Yes”, and she want to see if ah go tek de children $400 ah sell-liberate too.{{more}} Ah caught her off guard when ah tell her dat ah looking foh ah extra $200 student “bribe money”, because ah doing ah Online Course in Real Estate Appraisal, and dat suppose to qualify me as ah student foh another bribe, she ask me if she get her Pastah to say she’s ah Bible Student, how she doesn’t miss Bible Studies on ah Thursday night, if ah think she go qualify foh ah $200. “Vote Yes bribe money” too. Ah reminded her dat de slogan is “Yes we must”, so she must go and get she $200.

Is either dah Prime Minister Gonsalves foot and dem too short, or his pull-it-tek-all vision is. Way was he and his $200 “Vote Yes bribe money” last month at de beginning ah de school year, when parents couldn’t find money to buy school books and uniforms, de more needy ones had to be restrained from causing ah Riot at de Well-fear Department when dey didn’t get free school books and uniforms, de photo and de story was in de Searchlight.

No one can de-nigh dat de PM’s thirty million dollar birthday gift is ah good gesture. De question is, can de country afford it, and do we have it? And if de answer is Yes, den how do yuh explain millions ah dollars paying out to young and old foh doing absolutely no wuk at all, while dey are business house who credit materials to Guv-ah-mint going into months, and cant get dey money; people who wuk foh Guv-ah-mint, got bills to pay, mouths to feed, dey going by de Treasure Friday after Friday to be told dey claim ain’t ready yet. Sum-body up dey got to be mad!

CHELSEA PUTS HER DAD TO WATCH

From all indications, de Motor Bikers Rally was ah great success. If yuh didn’t attend, yuh miss ah treat, try and mek it next year. De sport is getting bigger and better, lots ah competitors and de organizers must be considering making de track wider. After de very first race ah could ah gone home feeling satisfied wid ah solid performance from Chelsea Cordice, 8 or 9 years ole, she so small, her feet can’t touch ground when she sits on de bike, someone has to hold her to get started. But she is ah winner and ah future star, she’s ah rounded athlete, into school Soccer and Karate. She does on the bike what her dad, Jerry was trying all his life to do, eat all yuh heart out Jerry and Liz!

But de man who left us calling foh more was Number 7, he had luck going his way all day. Ah didn’t get his name but he’s St Lucian and he’s international material. De way he negotiate de airspace, ah believe at one ah d’s events he will take off on his bike and fly back to St. Lucia. The meeting was well organized and nuff respect to de organizers, ah nah go call names because man does get vex when dey ain’t see dey name mention, even if dey ain’t do ah darn ting.

TWO GOOD MEN GONE

We lost two great sons-ah-de-soil dis week, Festus Toney and Calvin Nicholls. Toney was ah silent Giant, whereas so many of us would bla bla bla bla foh every lickle ting we do foh society, Not Festus. He drove from place to place in his old white car, doing his bit, doing it well and remained mute. Tally Browne, ah member of de Society for de Blind called to book ah ride to Georgetown to play his guitar at Toney’s funeral. Festus and Hugh Hamlet served as Treasurer and Secretary with de Blind Association foh years, voluntary service it was. Christ told his friends “in as much as you do it unto one of de least of these my brethren, you do it unto me”, Toney was obedient to de word.

And ah woke up dis morning to hear de sad news dat Calvin Nicholls died, he gone to meet de Lord. Ah could write ah fair bit about dis fearless, no non-sense man, who never relented from pushing hell-fire at any Forum, could be PSU, Credit Union, Building & Loan or way-ever, but ah prefer to leave dat foh others who would wish to share dey experiences wid dis great man. But ah want to comment on de couple ah times ah visited him while he was ailing at home, how it blessed my heart to see him coming out of ah stroke, but was able to raise those “holy hands” singing and praising God. Something great is happening up in Heaven, Festus de Educator and Calvin de Landscape Artist. expect to see some beautiful landscaping when yuh get dey. Even in times of death Lie-Za does encourage me to share ah lickle joke. How Calvin made his will and left ah lickle something foh all his sons-in-law. She say she hear Monty Eustace inviting me up to sell me some short pants, how in de will, Calvin left all his short pants foh Monty. Ah wish Monty will Sue her. And wid dat, is gone ah gone again,

One Love Bassy

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