Ah will march again and again

Lie-Za came to my house hot and sweaty early Sat-dey morning asking way she could get an NDP T-Shirt and Yellow Flag to wear. She come-plain dat over de last couple ah weeks, she looked at de newspapers and she fed up wid way going down, so she joining de marching up to Zion Hill later dat evening. Ah directed her to de NDP Headquarters below de ULP Red building near GHS, dey’s way she could get all de NDP Yellow materials she want, not by my home.

Ah know when she is upset, so ah insisted dat she tell me what’s bothering her and she replied: “Is like everything gone Ole Mas in dis country, and de only thing to correct de mess, is ah change of Administration!”{{more}} Seems like her big grouse is wid de Police. De recent incident when dey dragged teacher Bibby-Bowens from her class-room, slapped charges on her, search her place, stressed her out in Courts and den withdraw de charges widout even an apology. Den even more recently, dey was almost ah repeat wid Alex Band-well, de Talk Show host on Hotz FM, de people’s vice foh “brek-fuss” pon ah morning, but dey quickly realized dat dey were into another “Witch Hunt” and dis time backed off and apologized. “Who or what is going to stop dem?” she asked me.

Ah told her dat she got good reason to March, and while she is marching remember to support de appointment of sister Hazel Ann Jacobs, Supt of Police as de first female CID Chief; and to give Police Chief Charles kudos foh recognizing ah Woman foh de post. Ah know dat Supt Jacobs wuk many years in de trenches, from de bottom ah de ladder, and has graciously earned her promotion at de top as CID Chief. Dey’s room foh ah Woman’s Midas Touch at de top in dat department. Ah would add-vice de young sisters in de Force, do like Supt Jacobs, wuk hard and study to earn dey promotion. Lie-Za thinks dat ah spreading de Love Vine all over Sister Hazel Ann. Maybe!

Wid ah lickle nod of approval, she quietly said “all de more reason to March foh ah New Administration, to ensure dat our officers are allowed to perform dey task widout interference from de pull-it-tel-all bullies!” She promised to give de Top Cop his kudos foh Hazel-Ann’s promotion. Suddenly she blasted out: “But ah teking it back from him foh turning up at de ULP con-vin-shun decked in Red! To change dat we need ah New Administration, Ah leadership dat will restore de public’s confidence in de Police, one dat will forbid our police officers while on duty, from wearing party colours at pull-it-to-kill party conventions, marches and rallies, all ah dat is so Wrong!” She said. Lie-Za is on track, clearly some ah we public servants need to be reminded dat dey are servants of dis country, paid by tax-payers to whom dey owe first loyalty and not de polly-trickans.

She asked me what is my feelings on de “Exhaustive Review” of de Dir. Gen. of Finance and Planning, dat supposedly cleared de Comptroller of Customs of any “legal wrongdoings.” Den she asked me if “no legal wrongdoings” means dat what de Comptroller did was right and acceptable in de sight ah de Lord? Ah told her dat long ago, senior public servants who were travelling officers, were given “Duty Free Concessions” foh de vehicle dey would be using foh de job. Now if Go-venom-men’t wants to reintroduce dat system, it’s OK, but ah will not accept what de Comptroller did is ah good precedent. So rather dan go and bury dey face in ah hole, dey threatening to go witch-hunting foh de officer who supposedly brought de truth to light. Punishment foh de Truth, but we will March Again and Again!

“What time yuh leaving foh de marching, could I get ah ride. And by de way what are you going to march for?” She asked. Ah told her dat ah Marching foh de Silent Majority. All de folks who would ah love to come out to show disapproval of de way de Go-venom-ment got de country going. Is not dat dey ‘fraid Ralph, dey ‘fraid ah victim-I-say-shun, dey go lose de lickle wuk dey have. But dey will join de March later when he announces de date foh elect-shuns! Ah marching foh de number of displaced wukers in dis country, Arm-in say is over 49 business houses Gone! Dey close down under dis hapless ULP regime. Hundreds ah unemployed persons still can’t get severance, Ju-C wukers waiting over four years now, KFC wukers have joined de line foh severance. Ah Marching to mek sure dat C.K Greaves, P.H Veira and Bonadies businesses continue to grow and mek dey contribution to de development ah we country, never mind de spite-full promise dat de ULP regime did mek to see dem go out ah business. And den ah told her ah want to hear de crowd’s react-shun, when Arm-in foh de umpteenth time, tries to do de Big Belly Dance pon de stage at Zion Hill. But ah will March Again and Again! And wid dat is gone ah gone Again.

One Love Bassy.

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