May dat back pay R.I.P

Ah felt like if ah wanted to be ah public servant again, when de Pry-minister announced on Sunday, dat Public Servants will get de outstanding one point five per cent dat he owed dem since 2011, ah total of nine million dollars. He even spiced it up by saying dat it was tax free. How he expect to tax dem when he owed dem foh three years and ain’t give dem ah cent interest. But such is de pull-it-tek-all game.{{more}} Having paid up his “death,” no doubt PM Gone-soft could have ah restful night. Dat one-point-five percent is de R.I.P of ah long, hard struggle dat originated way back in de year 2000. Thirteen years ah heated battles, ah lot ah soldiers got wounded and destroyed. SVUT leader, Utter Some and PSU president, Cools Fan-Low got struck down by ah virus called Gunsilitis. Ah found it strange dat de PM announced dat he paying out nine million dollars, but nowhere in his speech did he mention way he getting dis money from in dis hard Guava crop. During de 2012 Estimates debate, he said dat any salary increases, even after June 2013, will depend on the nation’s fiscal sit-yu-hear-shun and the economy. He didn’t mention ah word in his ah-dress bout any increase revenue. We know nothing coming from Bananas yet, dah’s ah crop dat uses to bring in ah hundred million dollars ah year, dis year so far Bananas it bring in ah me-gah two million dollars. Dis country in some see-rust trouble!

Ah wanted to bet Lie-Za dat de PM got dah nine million when he went Argentina earlier dis month. But she reminded me dat from de time de President of Argentina heard our PM was coming, she got instant head ache dat unfortunately was dia-ah-nose as bleeding in the brain.

Now Lo and Behold, dis Wednesday, three days after his Pay Day Speech, de Pry-minister was in de House ah Par-liar-mint, seeking approval to borrow fifteen million dollars to help pay de one-point-five percent back-pay. Lie-Za is ah Public Servant and her over-standing is dat dis lump-sum payment is her actual monthly increase. However, ah beg her before she touch dat money, to give de Lord His “Tithe,” ten percent, and leave de rest dey till Christmas. She ask me how de Lord go get ten percent when she only get one-point-five percent. Furthermore, when she lickle youth-man did pass Common Entrance, she did promise to buy him ah Black Berry phone, but Lie-Owe reminded her dat she got ah-raise by Vinlec! Ah-raise by LIME! And Ah-raise by CWSA! “ Now dat ah get dis big increase” she said, “ah go give de Lord His ten percent starting from next month!”

LETS TALK!TALK! TALK! AGRICULTURE

Ah now notice we have yet another organ-I-say-shun, de Caribbean Week in Agriculture (CWA). Another Talk Shop dat is supposed to place Agriculture and rural life in a prominent position, so key public and private sector decision makers can better acknowledge the strategic importance of the sector to economic, social and environmental stability. Yuh hear “Miss-shun State mint?” One ah de problems wid our Agriculture production is dat we belong to too much Organ-I-say-shun dat suppose to deal wid we Agriculture. Ah went on de Internet and is over fifty Organ-I-say shun we dey in. And is always and only de Minister, never de Farmer attending de meetings. Bear wid me foh two seconds, ah copy down six ah dem Organ-I-say-shun: “Caribbean Agricultural Research & Development Agency (CARDI), Caribbean Agribusiness Association (CABA) ; Caribbean Agro-Economic Society (CAES); Caribbean Food Crops Society (CFCS); Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute (CFNI); Caribbean Poultry Association; Caribbean Research Industrial Institute (CARIRI).” And yuh notice ah ain’t men-shun WIN-FA, WIN-FRESH, WIN-BAN, WIN-ERA. Still de only thing Nar WIN is Banana/Agriculture, it Nar Tun Back!

We need an Institute of Agriculture, Horticulture & Fishing hey in SVG, teach our students every aspect ah these subjects, how to feed dem-selves and mek ah dollar! Me ear drum bussing wid dis Eddy-care-shun Rev-all-yuh-shun Talk. De latest is dat “by 2025 dey will be ah Degree Candidate in every home.” Everybody want dey Masters and dey Master at Nutten! Why not in every home dey will be ah FARMER or ah FISHERMAN, ah CHEF or COOK, ah BAKER, ah MASON, ah CARPENTER, PLUMBER, ELECTRICIAN, Ah SEAMSTRESS or TAILOR, ah BEAUTICIAN, an A.B SAILOR, an AUTO OR BODY REPAIRMAN. Ah SEASONING and PEPPER SAUCE MAKER and lots more. So many people studying Computer Science and hundreds ah computers dumped aside foh want of ah technician. Yuh know what will effect change in dis society? Hands on skills starting wid “Back to de Land and Out on de Seas!”

DE NEW KID ON DE BLOCK

Before ah close, Lie-Za ask me to Big-Up Acting Commissioner, Charles foh de way he handled de Bigger Big’s matter when he was foolishly arrested. And she mek me read Charlo’s Independence Message. He is de new kid on de block, and he gave us an informed update of his few months stewardship as Commander-in-Chief. We need to know what’s happening in our Departments, Thanks! Lie-Za say ah don’t have to recommend him, because he’s all-ready ah Star! Nah bother wid she Charlo, just keep up de good wuks! And wid dat is gone ah gone again!

One Love Bassy

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