God mek mouth, he go provide bread!

COVID-19 is causing ah lot ah deaths all over, de figures in de USA mean ah hell-of-ah-lot to us in de Carry-Beyond. New York City (NYC) alone is de hardest hit. Ah quarter of de number of identified COVID-19 cases (323, 000.00+) in de USA, are from NYC; about de same fraction holds foh deaths; ah quarter of de number of COVID-19 deaths (20, 000. 00+) also come from New York.

And why do I men-shun NYC? Well dat City is way yuh will find de majority ah Carry-Beyond people, including Vin-scent-shun.

Yes, NYC is de Cash Cow, way more dan “ah Half” ah de people standing in dem long lines at Western Union and Money Gram, does get monthly remittances. Dat same NYC is way more dan “ah quarter” ah de Christmas Barrels come from every year. Lie-Za say de way things looking, we might have to cancel Christmas this year. Ah reminded her dat duty-free concessions on Christmas barrels begin this month. She say dat’s de expect-stay-shun of ah Done-all Trump.

If ah might stray ah bit, de Cruise Ship sailors whom we bad-mouthing, saying dey go spread de Virus if we let dem home, dey too, contribute nearly ah third ah de monies remitted to SVG annually. One ah de sad COVID-19 story, is about ah young Cruise Ship sailor who went back to sea in January, left just before completing ah mortgage of ah quarter million dollar property he was buying. Due to COVID-19, he returned in March; de Mortgage (loan) was approved. De morning he went to collect de Bank Cheque foh $250, 000 he was told dat his transaction has been frozen until he goes back out to Sea. This is de sort of financial contribution these young Seafaring men and women make to de Economy of SVG.

And allow me to stray further. Is de Go-venom-mint of SVG foh real when dey beating bout de bush, talking ‘bout can’t afford de money to bring back home our Vicent-shun students, our University Students part of dis Ed-he-care-shun Rev-all-yuh shun? Everyone ah dem University Students and Seafarers is SVG’s biggest Investment foh today. Tomorrow’s yesterday!

Explain to me how we can justify teking NIS money to Bill hotel. Just look at LIAT, ah company into which SVG has always been first to pump millions ah bail-out money, LIAT can’t even come to rescue our students abroad? Ole people say “Shoe-maker pickney doh have shoes”. Suddenly we find millions to Bill Fishing Boats, we budgeting foh spruce-up de town; now we doing all ah dis, but dey’s no urgency in getting our Nay-shun’s children home. “Be it ever so humble, dey’s no place like Home!” We are abandoning our beloved children, treating dem like nobody pickney. Our sons and daughters deserve de best; dey are our future chefs, farmers, engineers, builders, economists and so on. Dey are part and parcel of de Pledge: “We’re out to Bill ah new SVG.”

Remember it was ah Plague in de days ah Moses dat wreaked havoc in Egypt and humbled de all powerful Pharoah. When COVID-19 mek its round, hopefully there will be lots ah humbled Pharoahs.

Nice to see the Fifteen Talking Heads (Carry-Come) suddenly wake up to de smell ah de coffee. We ready to unite and bring home de regions distraught Nah-shun-alls who wuking abroad. Man is too much tribal poly-ticks. Check it out, dey’s nothing on which Awe-position and Go-venom-mint could find common grounds dan dis CoronaVirus COVID-19 pan-dem-ache. It’s ULP way or no-way!

Dey’s great uncertainties surrounding de future of de Cruise Ship Industry, most ah dem flying ‘Flags of Convenience’. Dey have Non-US Registration, bogus Registration. While we appear to be fighting foh our Seamen’s Rights, we could very well be muddying de water foh de Cruise Ship Workers. Dem ships won’t be ready foh ah while; some might not go back to sea foh some time as well. But God mek mouth and He go provide Bread. So let us unite, two parties wid one voice. All who pussy-footing, playing Poli-tricks wid de Nay-shun’s future, watch out! Mene Mene Tekel ULPharsin. We will have to come back to dem same young Nah-shun-alls, dey parents, siblings and friends.

And wid dat is gone ah gone again

One Love Bassy

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