Tings not as b’right as dey look

Things are not looking as b’right in SVG as we are led to believe, and certain things does disturb me, like when ah hearing pon Radio, how Guv-ah-mint owing businesses and contractors millions; how daily paid wukers who normally get paid one week after de end ah de fortnight, can’t get pay foh weeks now. Waz happening dey?{{more}}

Just Chose-dey morning ah heard ah lady calling-in pon de Radio to tell de host, how she had ah problem and urgently telephoned one ah de Police Stations, only to be greeted by dat disgusting, recorded vice dat tells you “dis line is tempt-or- realy out of ah-dah,” in simple language, de telephone is disconnected! But de caller went on to say dat in desperation, she telephoned several other Police Stations and got de same message, Disconnected! Needless to say, dat was de spark dat set de flame ah-blaze, we are hearing now dat de phones at de Clinics are tempt-or-rarely out of ah-dah too! Ah didn’t try calling to prove if de rumor was correct, but meddle-sum Lie-Za who she-self is always ‘temporarily out ah order’, confirmed dat dey was merit in de story. First ley me say dat some, ah repeat, some public servants does ah-booze de Guv-ah-mint phone, and dem phones should be barred.

But apart from dat, something got to be radically wrong, dey should not be ah problem wid money to pay foh these phones in public offices. We are still in de first quarter ah de financial year, de budget foh 2012 was approved only two months ago, so money must be in de votes to pay, unless dey’s ah leak in de bucket. I am tempted to believe de Awe-position, dat too much ah de local Rev-ah-new is being siphoned off to de Argyle International Airport. Incidentally ah had ah look at de project on When’s-dey and out dey look too peaceful and quiet, one ain’t get de feeling dat dis is de biggest project ever in de his-story ah dis country.

Ah remember in 1959/1960 when construction wuk on de E.T. Joshua Airport was swinging, de tek-knowledgeee was different; ah lot ah action was going on, yuh could ah seen nuff local people wuking , nuff overtime too, Sat-dey and Sun-dey. Pay-day was like crop-over. When yuh see dem Contractors got paid, one in particular, he uses to hire ah taxi, drive to Georgetown, aka Sugar Town back den; buy one drink ah whisky and head back to Kingstown. Lie-Za telling me things ah no different at Argyle, only dat when de wukers get paid, dey buy out de Supermarket and de Boutiques, get on dey plane, fly to Havana, smoke ah cigar and return! And why not de wuking hard, dey will tell yuh is de tuffest job dey ever did, dey keep running into “nuff collision wid de willing.”

But ah worried, ah worried dat 2014 will come and de Airport will not be finished; yuh might ask “why am I worried?” well in de 2015 Elections, ah was hoping to tell Dr Gone-soft, thanks foh ah job well done, he did de impossible, and den send him home. Now if de Airport ain’t finished, he not going no way, he must finish it and name it, so why not.

Secondly part ah his master plan to re-tire was deflated ah couple weeks ago. He simply mek ah lickle joke in Cabinette, and tell dem fellars he bringing home his son, Solomon sorry, Calm-yellow foh ah ministerial post and, hopefully tek over de Party. Hell bruk lose! Every Man-Jack tun beast and say “over dey dead body!”De PM simply throw ah spratt to see if he could catch ah Whale, but he was left Wailing instead.

And den dey’s de question by South Leeward Rep. Nature Stephenson about de anticipated flooding of de Buccament River.

De Hotel Developers have received permission (I hope) from Planning to change de course ah de River to enhance their development, in so doing de have protected their side of the river bank, but residents on de other side ah de river are afraid dat if, and when de river comes down, dey homes will be washed away.

So Nature pozed de question to Min. Gomry, mind yuh de question was not properly directed, but de concerns foh de citizens were evident and imminent.

Yuh would think dat de demotion dat Gumry got in de recent Cabinette Re-scuffle would ah humbled him, never! He literally threw de question out de window.

Ah will say no moré on dat situation dat could be de next disaster, lest ah get ah-Q’s foh passing bad mouth pon de River. But ah begging de relevant Minister, Julie-Ann to look into de matter and do what is necessary.

Dey’s more but ah will have to say as usual, wid dat ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

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