Fool Ah talk but nah fool ah listen

Is ah lot ah people who offered dem-selves to serve dis country as politicians, made ah lot ah promises to LIFT de country higher, but LEFT dis country worse off dan when dey got into office. Oh Yes! dey would have made good foh
dem-selves. Dis is no time foh name calling and sugar coating and lie-ing but ah want to salute de late Ken Boyea. Ah wouldn’t say much except dat way Ken left- off others failing, trying hard to start! Ken Boyea was de Prime Minister dat shouldah bin! Thank you Ken Rest Peacefully!

Ah bin around foh ah while, four score! “ Thank yuh Jesus!” As ah lickle youth ah saw and heard lots ah promises made. Ah remember George Mc Intosh ah family friend, ah Druggist, ah Liberator, who walked from town to Murray Village to bring Medicare-shun foh my grand-parents. Ah remember my granny cried when Mc Intosh was defeated by de Eight Army led by George Charles, Joshua, de Baynes brothers and others. Ah remember in 1951 ah Massive March from Arnos Vale bridge to Kingstown, all de way singing “Onward Christian Soldiers marching as to War!” Well is no more Christian Soldiers, we have “Five Star Generals and World Bosses!”

Ah remember when SVG had lots ah lickle schooners plied de rough channels, transporting Vincy produce to our near-boss.

Ah strongly remember when dis lickle SVG had all de ingredients in becoming ah self-sufficient, In-deep-and-dent State! Ah remember when SVG produced de Best Sea Island Cotton in de World, and we had de largest “single” coconut field (4,000 Acres) in de world. Dat field fed ah Coconut Oil Factory and Cotton Ginnery located in town, processing de Coconut and Sea Island Cotton seeds into oil, animal feed, cotton balls foh clothing and other products. Ah remember dat night in 1959 when de factory was destroyed by ah fire!

Subsequently de factory was replaced by two Oil Factories in Arnos Vale, dey are no more!. Ah remember when SVG produced de Best Our-Root Starch in de World, Our starch was used to make computer paper! de Our-Root Pool or shipping office was way NIS Building is presently. Is years we have not produced ah single pound ah Our-Root Starch, but thankfully, de farmers getting dey allowances/compensation foh years ah sweat and toil. Come on Slow-Boater lets get Our-Root into production!

WHEN SUGAR WAS KING

Ah remember when sugar cane was King and Georgetown was ah City, when we exported lots ah Rum, Molasses and Sugar to de Mother Country. But unfortunately Cane killed Sugar, and today we importing even de Molasses to mek Rum! Ah remember when Bananas was Green Gold. Ah Banana boat was in port ever week to take our Grow Michelle and Lack-ah-Tan Bananas to de UK. Today de boats bring Jah-pan-knees cars and take away nothing we produce.

Ah remember as ah youth ah was wuking at Public Works, lots ah Feeder Road work was in progress getting de farmers bananas to de port. Joshua was in office, built an Airport dat was later named de ET Joshua. Ah remember quite well dey was ah thing called Poor Relief, dat only de very poor and destitute, went shamefully to collect an allowance. Today dey’s de NIS dat has hell’t problems, Ah remember well dey was lots ah work foh daily paid people, at de end of de year dey was vacation leave foh daily paid workers. Today dey’s three, two-weeks Road Wuk ah year: Christmas, Carnival and Back-to-school! Ah will bet dat now de “ One point nine billion dollars ($1,900, 000, 000. 00)” Budget is passed dey will be Road Wuk till Elect-shuns over!

Ah remember watching painfully how “one by one, two by two, count dem by dey numbers!”

All! Every one ah dem Industries, factories slowly disappear! Lie-Za has just arrived and ah asked her How? Where? and When SVG plans to raise dis “One point nine billion dollars ($ 1, 900, 000, 000. 00)” foh de 2025 Budget! Her straight answer is : “Fool ah Talk but Nah Fool Ah Listen!” And wid dat is gone ah gone again!

One Love Bassy

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