Between ah rock in ah hard place

To be honest, is months ah waiting foh ah fare-minded body like Ken-tek-he Boy-yeh to mek ah statement on de way de E-con-me falling apart, and give possible suggestions foh arresting de situation. Ah say dis because ah hearing nuff talk bout negative growth in de E-con-me, ah even notice ah significant decline in de number ah people shopping in de business places ah does visit regularly.{{more}}

Ken’s KFC Up-town is me regular Fry-dey night, Spy-see and Fry lime. And outside KFC, ah does patronize Lynette, de nutritious doo-coo-nah Vendor who does mek she lickle home-made nix-snack, coconut and ground-nut sugar-cakes fee sell to pay she bills.

But within recent months now, ah notice KFC doh have de usual crowd, no long lines like before times. Ah remain positive saying de fall-off could be ah sign dat people changing dey eating habits, and not ah case ah business going bad.

Further to dat if business was dat bad, Ken would be first to say so, after all, was he who did say in an TV interview wid Jerry George dat, if he had known dat de present ULP Guv-ah-Mint would ah bin so “Progressive,” he would ah never leave de party.

But Lie-Za in she usual misbehaving-self saying, Ken must face reality, yes, de Vending situation under KFC gallery on Melville street is annoying, but is it not de same “Progressive” Guv-ah-mint dat inspired de vendors to get up and get. Vendors have bin under dat KFC gallery way back when Doc Adams had his Fish Net Restaurant, is only dat de numbers multiply, could be dat de smell ah de home-own chicken causing dem to stick around and reproduce more rapidly.

Seriously though, things got to be overbearing when Ken-tek-he Boyea, one ah de friendliest businessman come-plane dat Vendors under KFC gallery hum-bug-in de business.

Yes ah does vex too, when ah got to squeeze pass dem Vendors under de galleries, especially when it raining, yuh could neither move forward nor forward as Rasta would say! Ah bet yuh is ah long, long time since de Pry-minister or any ah his ministers walk thru town, Town Dread! Business owners catching dey “nennen” when de month come to pay staff, rent, lights and water bill, NIS, VAT plus Tax! While Frustration driving dem crazy, it driving Vendors crazy too, mothers and fathers wid three and four pic-knee to mind.

So as nuisance as dey might appear, it is ah necessity dah got every single one ah den Vendors under de galleries.

Now how do yuh convince ah person dat can’t find ah wuk anyway, who, wid dey own initiative, decide in an honest way, to try his/her own mini entrepreneurial skills, dat dey creating ah Problem.

But Law and Order must tek precedence if all things must wuk properly. We need to talk, business owners, vendors and Pry-minister Gone-soft must be dey to hear from de ‘orses mouth, dat part ah de Problem is he painting dis glorious picture ah de E-con-me, but nuttin reaching dey cash register.

Remind him is he who say he is de only person who could run dis country! But talk we must.

NUFF RESPECT TO DE SINGLE PARENTS

De CSEC results are out and from de sound ah things, ah great deal needs to be done in Maths and English ‘A’. My take on Maths is dat yuh should put yuh best Math Teacher to teach de Form 1’s, give dem ah proper introduction and foundation.

My own daughter was lost in Maths from day one at GHS, is Jit Francis, ah sound Math Teacher who salvaged her wid evening classes in her final year, thankfully she brought home ah “2” in Maths.

Congratulations are in order foh all Principals, those whose students did “wise or otherwise,” ah got dat from ah visiting Pastor, Haynes.

Headmistress Andrea Bowman and de staff at GHS did it again. Despite Mrs Bowman reservations de students delivered beyond expectations. No doubt inculcated to succeed thru de words ah de school’s motto: “Per Ardua Ad Alta…. Through difficulties to de heights!” De school got ah 96.8 percent pass, one percent less dan last years 97.8 percent.

And congrats to Principal, Calm-ma Bascombe of SJCK. She Calm-ly catching up wid GHS, placing second wid an 89 per cent pass. My wife is bursting wid joy, her lickle privately run church school, just five years ole, got 100 per cent pass wid 100 pass in all subjects, no doubt ah record; except of course only one student, Clinton Pearte was de successful candidate.

Principal, John Renton at Tommy Saunders is holding his own, ah new school also dat making ah name foh dem-selves.

Lie-Za was giving me ah great human interest story. She said dat de four top students at GHS with 10 to 12 passes, who were featured in de Searchlight, are not only from poor and humble back-ground, but are all children nurtured by ah single parent!

Dis is commendable and should be an inspiration foh those young mothers, who are left to struggle wid ah child, sometimes more dan one.

Yes we need to congratulate and praise our women when dey so richly deserve to be.

But on ah sad note, Lie-Za was saying also dat de 18 year ole mother from Arnos Vale, charged foh strangling her son to death, attended de GHS, got her subjects, had ah child, no wuk, was about to become ah single parent, but had no motivation to fight on.

No doubt she was disillusioned and confused.

On dis sad note, ah say is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

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