Is it ah seventeen year cycle?

Ah was telling Lie-Za dat when ah left school; ah landed ah job at de Public Works Department (PWD). Ah was ah Time-Keeper/Votes Clerk getting $ 2.60 ah day and ah labourer got $1.50 ah day.

De PPP led by Hon E.T. Joshua was in power. Trust me, things were good, dey was lots ah wuk. We got lots ah Far-reign Funding from de UK, de USA and Canada foh Development Projects.

Pappa Joshua who was himself an Educator and ah man of sound Wisdom saw dat de illiteracy rate was high maybe too high. So it was Joshua who introduced de first Eddy-care-shun Rev-all-yuh-shun, he tackled dat problem when he built ah number of Primary Schools in key areas around SVG.

His Majesty Prince Bananas had overthrown King Sugar, but unlike de Cane fields on de flat lands wid proper roads, de Banana fields were in de inaccessible mountainous areas. And those fruits had to be transported in vehicles to reach de Boat on time. So Joshua in his Wisdom again,
introduced ah massive Feeder Roads Program to all dem interior Banana Fields.

Den dey was shipping problems wid de Banana Boats. We needed ah Wharf to take de Bananas to de UK and de Canadian Government gave us de Deep Water Wharf. Joshua was in office at de time, Interestingly at dat time, SVG was one ah de only country way Air-transport ah small sea-plane dat landed in Villa. Ah major problem it was, but it was Joshua again, he turned de Casson’s Great Head or Arnos Vale rice and tobacco fields into an Air facility dat was later named ET Joshua Airport.

So Joshua period and immediately after was punctuated wid nuff wuk, Eddy-care-shun Rev-all-yuh-shun well on de way, which could explain why Criminal activities was at ah lowest ever, except of course foh de stealing ah fowl or goat. One murder ah year was like de end ah de world. Already foh dis year we done reach ah record 22 murders or home-outside or what-ever yuh call dem, and interestingly we are comforted dat dey’s nothing to fear.

Crime is now ah sophisticated Science, yuh have to be ah Forensic (Friend-sick) Scientist to solve crime, yet de criminals, most ah dem high school drop-outs, managing to keep ahead ah de experts. Seventeen years ago we were made aware of de fact dat Criminal activities had reached an all time high. Easily convinced, de electorates replaced de Mitchell’s Administration wid Gonslaves’ ULP who claimed he had ah solution.

Now as if de Numbers playing wid we minds, it is now seventeen years since de ULP took over, and de NME, Mr. Crime is back and firing from all pistols. From de beginning dey introduced ah Far-reign program called “ de Education Revolution!” Dat package is like one ah dem Barrels from Far-reign Die-us-poorer dat contained everything, both non-perishables and perishables. Packages and sealed items arrived damages sometimes, liquid and powdered stuff spill an spoil.

So items are carefully sorted out, bad things go one way and good stuff de other. Dey was insufficient assorting in de Eddy-care-shun Rev-all-yuh, so very early ah lot ah bad stuff dropped out or got thrown out along de way, and too much perishable stuff was stored wid good stuff, contaminated others and have remained as bad as de day dey entered school. Check de Searchlight Newspaper way so many young men, 17 years ole and over have turned to crime. Who aint born in de Rev-all-yuh-shun, grow up in it. What ah Mess!!

But Lie-Za who was complaining dat after seventeen years, de Go-venom-mint has become lame on Crime, is now satisfied dat de “New Crime Fighting Program” dat includes placing high tech Cameras in strategic areas, is ah brilliant move. And who-so-ever in place foh dis next seventeen year cycle, should see de beginning in de Primary Schools of ah Real Rev-all-yuh-shun dat includes Culture: Music Drama, Dancing and Bible Study foh all students up to CXC. And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

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