Trucks pon top ah trucks
When ah see de line ah “Trucks pon top ah Trucksâ laden wid Free Cement, Free Lumber and Free Plywood IMPORTED from Jah-mek-her “heading from de Wharf ” to de PWD store-room at Arnos Vale,
ah remember back in de days when Banana was King, and “Trucks pon top ah Trucksâ laden wid Bananas “heading to de Wharfâ to catch de Geest Banana Boat in Kingstown. Ah remember how Bananas uses to get left back, boat over full!{{more}}
De significant difference however, was de direct-shun de trucks traveled. Is like ah pair-ah-ducks, while de Yuâll-Pee Free Lumber and Free Cement trucks appear to be bringing in goods, Rev-ah-knew is going out, but dem Banana Trucks, dat were heading in de opposite direction, EXPORTING Bananas (bringing in Rev-ah-knew), locally produced Vincy Bananas, grown by hard wuking Vincy Farmers, ley me repeat Vincy Farmers. Our Farmers had ah lot in common; Dey were proud, united in harmony, co-operated wid each other; swap labour, dey looked foh no hand out, dey wuk hard like hell in dem rough mountain terrain Dey wore ah common Banana Farmer uniform, darkened, polka dot stained clothes from de juice of de Banana plants; dey was no Farmer in Red or Farmer in Yellow.
Man is painful memories, ah remember ah Banana shipment sometimes took two days, night included. “Trucks pon top ah Trucksâ laden wid Bananas lined along de road, foh ah distance of about ah three-quarter-mile from Sally Spring to de Geest Banana Shed on de wharf. Around dat time, de rev-ah-knew foh Banana peaked at over 120 million dollars ah year; today it is down to 120 million excuses why we are not able to ship any Bananas to de UK.
In de absence of Banana, most ah de Farmers surviving on Poor Relief, all dis under de stewardship of Dr Ralph Gone-Soft and his inept Yuâll-Pee add-mini-stray-shun, dat had promised to do so much to restore and save de Banana Kingdom. But in fourteen light years, we have witnessed completed funeral arrangements and de final nail driven in de coffin ah de Banana Industry. Another four years under Yuâll-Pee is like handing over de country to Ever-ready and New Haven Funeral Homes to run, no disrespect meant to these efficient companies.
Never mind de glorious and fictitious stats about reduced Poverty Level in SVG, deyâs no employment, young people desperately looking foh wuk, those willing to tek de oath of ah-legions to Red are put on Poor Relief. Our Go-venom-mint boasts of its Love Foh Poor People, quoting de high increases in de number of people on Poor Relief and de increases on Poor Relief payments.
Dey will be ah wedding feast, “Here Comes De Yuâll-Pee Bribe! wid Free Cement, Free Lumber and Free Galvanize. All Yuâll-Pee supporters, indigent Poor, those who never wuk and on Poor Relief, will foh dey faithful and loyal support to de party, receive come-pen-say-shun in de form of ah bran new board house. And foh those who did spitefully “Vote Noâ because dey did not get any Free Galvanize, Free cement and Free lumber, will also receive materials retroactively from 2009. But de Real Nation Builders, de Teachers, Police and Public Wukers getting called all kind ah names!
Lie-Za say she ainât sorry foh dem, some ah dem drive by PWD everyday, and seeing de corropt-shun wid “Trucks pon top ah Trucksâ unloading tons ah building supplies, and we all know dat it is no coincidence, dat these materials have been brought in de country foh Elect-shun, to be shared out as elect-shun bribes to Yuâll-Pee supporters. But nobody seems willing to “stand up and speak out!â
DE FRAGRANCE SWEEPING THRU
How well ah remember when de Yuâll-Pee took office in 2001, ah smart young Barrister-at-law met me at Greaves Supermarket, and she invited me to inhale de sweet fragrance of change sweeping thru de at-most-fear. Now it is my turn to invite her, not to inhale de pull-it-to-kill toxin sweeping de country, but to revisit de events leading up to de 2001 victory. Where Teachers and Public Servants are back on de Rampage foh money. Dey add-myth-in dat Arm-in was blunt and forthright, but he met in negotiations wid dem, and was not abusive and insultive. Dey had taken to de streets to demonstrate, and gathered support from NGOâs, today deyâs no NGO, all have been laid to RIP by de Yuâll-Pee. Except of course de Mini Bus Association who are fed up wid promises to fix de road, so dey will be staying off de streets on October 12, and heaven knows what next. De at-most-far smelling fee-she!
Cold-Red Bacchus, president of de Mini Bus Association is correct when he chanted de Go-venom-mint of being penny wise pound foolish. Rather dan spend de $14 million on building materials to bribe Yuâll-Pee supporters in de December Elect-shun, dey could ah fix de pot holes in de road at de same time creating jobs. But fixing pot holes and creating jobs donât win elect-shuns, Bribes do! And wid dat is gone ah gone again.
One Love Bassy
Bassy Alexander is a land surveyor, folklorist and social commentator.
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