Calm-law getting eve’l or eve’n

Maybe Prime Minister Calm-law Best-see-saw does not know of the leg-ah-see or die-nasty dat was built between de Dr Eric Williams’ Trinidad and Tobago and dem small islands in particular SVG and Grenada. Small islanders helped build T’n’T, my people de Alexanders ‘n’ Jacobs in Belmont and St. James left hey years ago. Eric Williams had roots here too, his aunt, Miss Laborde ran ah private school hey, she uses to live at Harbour Club. Remember when we had ah good market foh our carrots in T’n’T; den all of ah sudden dey (T’n’T) started importing cheap carrots from de US at 10 cents ah pound, and all ah de Vincy carrots were spoiling on de wharf in T’n’T.{{more}} De Guv-ah-mint hey (Sir James’ Junta I think) got de good doctor to subsidize our carrots so dat our farmers, and by extension our traffickers were able to compete wid de US in carrots, de inter trading boomed thereafter. Never once did de Doc make any insulting innuendoes, like he looking foh Trinny interest. However those were de days when T’n’T had oil to spare and money to waste, till de doctor did say, “money is not ah problem, Trinidad oil can’t done”. Twenty years after, Trinidadians were locking up dey million dollar mortgaged homes, leaving de keys by de Airport abandoning de homeland and headed to Canada as Refugees. De oil money ran out, and corrupt-shun brought Trinidad to its knees. Kaisopnians sang “Captain (Chambers) de ship is sinking”. Wid all fare-ness to sister Calm-law, she took over de ship dat sprang ah leak under captain Man-in, Ralph’s friend, two pees in ah pod, Man-in gone to prepare ah place foh his twin! Talk bout corruption, T’n’T Guv-ah-mint owes contractors billions, dey now got dem to accept bonds foh de money. So it is not difficult to overs why Calm-law taking de high road. Ah lot ah these small island leaders does find demselves pon de pull-it-tek-all platforms ah dey colleagues, and not only dat, dey does run dey mouth pon de opponents. Kenny-an-Tony did come hey on ah ULP platform and call Arm-in ah Man-ha-coo! Calm-law was referred to as “not so bright”. So like she was waiting foh all who did run dey mouth pon she; especially how Ralph just happens to be de best fren ah her pull-it-tek-all NME, she spoke till she over spoke. Disaster relief is given in good spirit and should be received and distributed with de same spirit ah goodwill.

So to avoid meking insulting comments like Miss Best-see-saw, donor countries, prefer to give direct aid like food, clothes, building materials; no cash, dey overs dah in times ah disaster, cash does grow hands and feet like an athlete and disappear. And rather dan saying dat Trinidadians must benefit from Trinidad’s aid, she could ah just send de foodstuff and forget bout hitting back and getting even wid Man-in thru his best fren!

CARLOS AH YOUNG MAN OF GREAT STUFF

Ten years ago, Searchlight’s Editor, Norma Keizer employed ah frail looking 16 year ole, Form five student from Troumaka Sec. School. He was even too young to pay NIS contributions. But unlike 99 per cent ah de CXC students coming out ah school today, Carlos had skills in IT, in particular de computer program used in Newspaper production, he was an asset from de word go, ready foh de job market. Thanks to his teacher, Domenico Palombo, ah Peace Corps, (corps is pronounced core and not cops as dem young radio announcers does say) who was himself an expert wid de program, and passed some of his skills on to Carlos. Carlos had ah double “B’ certificate as well, “Bright” and ah pardonable “Bad’ behave, typical sixteen year ole country boy, plunged into town life, he was very much “de young kid in ah man’s body”. But he was versatile and ambitious, apart from laying out de paper he would report stories from de Leeward side. He successfully persued ah Journal-is-him course in Jamaica, didn’t resign and was back wid Searchlight to serve ah bond he made wid de company. Bondage over, he left foh de UK to study Law. He would however come back foh de usual summer breaks, never lost his humility, never too proud to pick up ah few bucks writing stories foh his “all-me-matter”, ah tremendous sense ah loyalty dat, stories came all de way from de UK. Gradually his profile blossomed, his confidence and maturity mellowed, and it didn’t surprise, when his CV came indicating he had picked up his Bachelors (Hons) and Masters both in Law and was called to de Bar in de United Kingdom. We at Searchlight are proud to identify wid de success ah dis brilliant and determined young man. Carlos is ah true representation ah what ah meant when ah write say “My faith foh SVG rests in de youths, dem dat looking foh personal development de hard way, beginning wid dedicated studies combined wid committed service”. Congrats Carlos!

WHO NOT FOH WE GAINST WE

Lie-Za hopes Mr. Dick’s son, Know-well, dat while he day pon Radio critique-in de Prime Minister’s book, meking comments dat were not complimentary, dat he was being nominated foh dis-miss-all at RBTT. He should check wid former RBTT manager, Earl Crichton to find out who had him shipped off to another island foh being Arm-in’s fren. And she wants to know if is true dat de list ah names ah Graduate Teachers dat went to de PSC foh approval from de Ministry, had to give way to de list from Cab-ah-net. Maybe de list from de ministry had too many ah Arm-in’s fren too. Ah boy, Ole people say “Time longer dan twine!” And wid dat is gone ah gone again

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