Fight him on the outside

Dis murder ting has raised its ugly head again dis week in Camden Park, and Redemption Sharpes, which is now ah regular. Ah must add-myth dat de tensed and hostile climate got me sweating. Ah even tried mapping de different locations way we have had these murders, and looking at de way dey been hitting hey, dey and every-wey, my only conclusion is dat Satan teking we country mek Draught Board.{{more}}

Is like Murder! Murder! Every way! One week, ah murder in Greggs; nex week one in Sharpes, den one at Cane End, den Bagga, den Lowmans, back up in Sharpes, den Murray Road, ah double kill at Camden Park, back up in Sharpes and so it goes. Already we done have 22 murders foh de nine months gone in dis year. Dey’s ah great deal ah hostility in de country. Yuh hear it on de Radio stations day and night, even men in high places making treats and talking gun play! Yuh would think dat wid elections over, de Pull-it-to-kill weapons would ah bin put to rest, not so at all.

Speakers on de ruling regime feeding supporters wid all kind ah clichés: “own de country” and “own de jobs”; even our man at de head is in on it too, “NDP supporters must not get preference over his people”; copying lines from Button de Bully who did tell NDP supporters: “Pastah say christen yuh own pick-me first”! Ah couldn’t believe what ah read in de papers way ah female Supervisor at Vinlec, whose job is to authorize disconnection to houses way consumers unpaid electricity bills, would have accumulated foh over three months; she did her job and was suspended, basically because ah client, who happens to be ah friend ah de Prime Minister and member ah his constituency got disconnected. Would yuh believe dat her colleagues allowed another lamb to be slaughtered while dey sat back and did nothing. What ah society ah cow-odds!

And is all kind ah explanations foh way going on, pure high-foh-looting terms like Socio Eco-nah-mix, Social Environment, Hostile Environment, Eco-nah-mek-all down-turn, yes and de Rev-all-yuh-shuns. Big word got he master so ley me lef de pull-it-tek-all Scientists and dem alone! My personal observation is dat as ah pass thru de country, ah facing dis horrible picture ah acres pon top ah acres ah lands that uses to be covered with healthy Banana trees, just left dey idle and abandoned. Is de poorest condition ah ever see our Banana fields looking, dry wid no signs ah life, dey tell me dat is de Soca-tore-her disease in full blast, neglect and lack ah support funds to spray de disease.

And lime-in along de road blocks, right next to all dem lands, is ah set ah people of all ages sitting idly by too, wasting away. Yuh not even seeing dem Rastaman dat uses to sell fruits and coconut by de road-side any more. Could dis be ah sign ah doom and gloom or apathy? It is serious business, Banana dat has been ah real saving grace foh de last 55 years, de only crop dat could put ah quick dollar in de Farmers pocket every other week is no more. So as it stand, de instant cash crop out ah compliance, rampant unemployment thru-out de land, one practical and functional alternative has been de Lotto and 3D foh quick cash; and of course dey’s now more dan ever, Poor Relief which is literally ah Rich Relief these days. Ah saw ah line ah people back up at de Calliaqua Police Station, when ah enquired, dey told me was “Poor Relief Payment day”. We are in ah bad situation, crime and violence on one side, de no job situation among youths and ah failing Agriculture and Economy on de other, maybe de solution lies in de Church. Mek no sense de Church control things inside de confines ah de walls ah de Church building, praising and worshipping in de comfort ah air-condition and soft benches and chairs, while Satan on de outside in control ah de town, villages, homes and everywhere.

We must get out dey and carry de fight to him on de outside.

And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

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