November 10, 2017

Ole Mistah Doyle: Show me yah company

When ah told Lie-Za de Sage’s adage dat ‘Ole Mistah Doyle’ did tell de PM say: “Ralph show me ah Liar and ah will show you ah teef”, she wanted to hear more, so ah tell her after Mistah Doyle died, Ralph did tun to ‘de Ole Lady’ foh add-vice wid de one dollar tax dey did impose pon Bequia people. Yuh know dat girl do and do till she find ‘de ole lady’ foh an explanation. ‘De Ole Lady’ told her, dat she reasoned to de consciences, dat it did sound bad when people say, how Cabinet hurry-hurry big Sunday morning, pon de Lord’s Day, when all body praying, Cabinet met and pass de Bill to prey ah Dollar Tax pon poor Bequia people.
 

And den “de Ole Lady’ told Lie-Za dat she weary send tell Ralph she want to see him, because she had a vision way ah strange kind ah Laundry business going on up Fort Charlotte. Imagine dey have Prisoners dressed in Red Prison clothes, washing and drying money like clothes. Two white men was in charge, one ah Man-e-Fort de other de-Gates. “Dem two white men look poh-poh like when people got Aids,” she said. Lie-Za was stunned! “Yuh cetainly have de Gift of Sight”, she commended ‘de ole lady’ and offered to interpret ‘de Ole Lady’s vision. “De white Man dat yuh see ah ‘Man-e-Fort’, his name is Man-e-Fort, and de one dah Manning de Gates, his name is Rig Gates, she said. Don’t let dey looks fool yuh, dey don’t have Aids, dey are Aides personified… Done-all Trump’s Aides. And de FBI got dem under ‘House-ah-Rest’, charged like battery wid ah set ah criminal activities, 12 in all, including tax evasion, conspiracy, money laundering. And dey been depositing some ah dey blood-money right hey in ah Offshore Bank. Same time ‘de ole lady’ interrupted Lie-Za: “Yes is true, de Bank sorry, Larndry dey up Fort Charlotte, ah see dem in my vision washing de money and putting dem to dry up Fort. Dat is why ah want to see Ralph, he must not have no bogus company in SVG. Mistah Doyle gone to his grave, but he gave me ah second Adage foh Ralph, not de one dat say ‘show me ah Liar ah will show yuh ah Teef’, everybody Teefing now.” Den she said: “Dis one is ‘Show me yuh company and ah will tell yuh who yuh are’!”

 
PROPHET AND LOSS

Ah was inspired last week wid ah headline ah saw dat read ” Renwick Rose appointed Chairman of de World Banana Forum (WBF)!” De Mission of dis WBF is to “Dig ah Better Life” foh Banana Farmers and by extension de people in our Banana Republic. “Dig ah Better Life” is ah slogan Sir James did coin to boost our Agriculture. Ah remember too, about 30 years ago, ah was at ah Forum foh Farmers, hey in SVG way Sir James (den PM) and de same Honourable Renwick were among de panel of speakers. Sir James said to Renwick: “Wait Renwick, what crop do you plant again?” And Renwick’s reply was: “Who me? I plant Peppers!” Whether is WINFA, WINFRESH, FairTrade, WBF or what-have-yuh, Renwick has been de Pepper, de latent Heat in de Banana Industry, Just when we thought dat ULP would have been de Salve-hey-shun of de Banana Industry, dey tun dey back pon de Industry and opted foh Cecil Ryan as cheerman in preference to Renwick Rose. Wid all fearness to Ryan, de Industry was already dead, but if dey was any hope den to salvage de Industry, it was in Renwick, ask de WBF. Renwick’s appointment send me straight to Mark Chapter 6-vs 4. My trance-lay-shun reads: “And Jesus said unto dem, ‘Only in his home town, among his relatives and pull-it-to-kill cut-throats, even in his own house is a prophet without honour’.” Words from de Master Himself. And dat explains why Remwick Rose is nuttin in de eyes of de Powers dat be in his homeland. And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

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