Diary of an Ingrate [Chapter 1]

Fri Jan 10, 2013

by Frank E da Silva

“…AND I keep telling people and they don’t understand me – I have no particular desire to remain in politics or to be PM. I could easily leave this party tomorrow morning based on my own personal feelings. I want people to understand that. I have no overwhelming desire to be PM of…. – it ain’t an ambition that I had – it never has been an ambition that I have. If it come, it come, if it ain’t come, it ain’t come…I could have resigned – I could have resigned easy. I got an offer I could have taken it, but I stayed back as Leader of the Opposition which would be much better for my own family in …but I decided to stick it out…but I have no overwhelming desire to be PM – NONE WHATSOEVER…and I want people in our party to understand that. Is no… is how I feel, is how I feel….” Arnhim Ulrick Eustace, July 2005.{{more}}

When I decided to pen this article, I had a number of headings from which to choose. For example, “Epitome of Ingratitude”, “The Face of Ingratitude” which would have required a photo [lol], or “Biography of an Arrogant Ingrate” but in the end I made the above choice – the reason should be obvious.

Entry: AE ON GRAMMAR SCHOOL EV 09 15 08

As an old boy of the Grammar school I believe that I owe a lot to the institution. Whenever I think of the school, I tend to think of authority, in the sense that as a student, in my time, the school was a very authoritarian institution with great deal of emphasis on discipline as well as the academics. I tend, therefore, very often to think of some of the events that had nothing at all to do with the academics. For instance, one of the enduring memories I have of the Grammar School was an event that took place in relation to Michael Findlay …. those of you who know about the school remember that there was a concrete cricket pitch just outside the agriculture department, and in those days that is where one practiced with the hard ball, leather seed or composition as the case might be, and some of the masters – and in this case I remember Cammie King in particular, who was the fast bowler for the island side – used to my mind intimidate us, when we played the game and I will always remember Michael Findlay for one thing …that at the age of 12, Cammie King ran up to bowl to him (the island’s fast bowler) and he hooked him over the Richmond Hill school and I never forgot that, because to me, King was authority that needed sometimes to be taught a lesson, and what Findlay did at that time was to teach him a lesson because he symbolized in a way how I saw the school as an institution….

I recall even at the point of time when I took what was the equivalent of the A ‘levels where we used to share facilities with the high school…. I was told by a teacher – I don’t want to call her name, the Lord bless her soul – “Eustace you will NEVER pass Geography at A ‘level” and she put me out the class, so I spent almost a whole term unable to go into the Geography class, but you know what that did, it simply made me more determined than ever to pass… I stuck to the task at home and I got a one (1) in Geography. She came up to me after the exam, offering congratulations, well I was Michael Findlay then, I said, “No thanks to you.”

Author’s note: Is James F Mitchell seen as authority who forced Arnhim into position? See Sir James’s book, Beyond the Islands, page 435. Is Sir James his Geography teacher?

Entry: AE v Junior/Matthew 05 16 11

And sometimes you know Mr Lynch, and I have to say this, sometimes, I hear some very irresponsible – in my view – irresponsible comments being made. For instance, I’ve been criticized because I said that I will not facilitate the collapse of the NCB. There are those persons in this country who felt that we should have encouraged a run on the bank because that would be good politics for the NDP. That’s nonsense as far as am concerned.

If the bank had collapsed as they wanted us to facilitate, all those persons would have lost their little $5000 or $3000 and $4000 and then we should be happy with that because that will help us to win. I don’t want to win on that basis. So oh that is a good way to win election. Well I don’t want to win election on that basis, by bringing greater suffering on the masses of people of this country. I want to make that clear and anybody who persists in that will never have my support.

Author’s note: It is down right misleading to say that “all those persons would have lost their little $5000, or $3000 and $4000.”

Entry: Matthew Thomas, StayAwake,

01 23 12

…I find we are wasting time. If you go out there in the name of nothing to preach against a governing party to get them out of office…who benefits? Is the NDP party. Is it reasonable for us to come here…then on weekends…take your vehicle… use your energy, money…mount platforms, setup equipment to have political meetings…without even gratis from the party which stands to benefit…you should consider us people from the mental home – we have to be crazy – life is practical.

Entry: AE v XC SVGTV TAIWAN NDP PC 10 10 12

Kenton Chance: Prime Minister has said that you have never visited Taiwan, which is, as we all know, is one of our closest allies. I want to know if this is arm, if this is so, do you think that it’s important that you visit Taiwan and if you think that it’s important, why have you not done so as yet? Thank you.

Arnhim Eustace: If is important I should visit Taiwan? That is a matter for Taiwan (laughter). Taiwan has not invited me to visit their country; you can’t presume that as Leader of the Opposition I can just go to Taiwan. I can go as a tourist.

Zuleke Lewis SVG TV: As a follow-up question to that, arm, the 101 anniversary of Taiwan was held and your absence was noted at the ceremony, I was just wondering were you invited Sir?

Arnhim Eustace: Well I was invited, yeah I was invited.

Zuleke Lewis SVG TV: And no reason for being absent by chance?

Arnhim Eustace: I chose not to go.

Eustace: I can’t leave and say I am going to Taiwan as the Leader of the Opposition

Chester Connell: But you

Eustace: They gonna contact the government

Chester Connell: You turned down the invitation Mr Eustace

Eustace: I turned down which invitation?

Chester Connell: You just told my colleague that you turned down an invitation

Eustace: To go to the function they had on Monday?

Chester Connell: Yes, well it begins somewhere. They invited you with an invitation and you snubbed it, isn’t that so?

Eustace: Yeah, leh me just tell you something. I have the right to do that when I want to do it and I have a reason – I have a reason for what I did.

Chester Connell: Can you tell us?

Eustace: No. I have a reason for what I did

Chester Connell: That is what am saying…

Eustace: That is not turning down anything

Chester Connell: We’re talking about building relationships, we need to build relationships.

Eustace: We’ll build our relationships, don’t worry about that.

Author’s note: No comment. Yet.

Entry: AE V CALLER RISHATTA EV NEWT 10 8 13

Caller: Good afternoon Mr Eustace

Eustace: Yeah good afternoon

Caller: Good afternoon Mr Cooke

Cooke: Yes good afternoon

Caller: This is my first time calling on your radio station.

Cooke: Ok

Caller: I heard Mr Eustace bin speaking about arm, this morning about like times hard and like people have children to go to school and how they are meeting it, right?

Cooke: Yes

Caller: I don’t have nothing personal against Mr Eustace. I do respect him as the political leader but arm does Mrs Nicholls have children?

Eustace: Listen, let me just tell you something, I took a decision to dismiss Mrs Nicholls for reason which I don’t want to mention on the air and for that reason I’ll say no more about it. I will simply appeal the decision of the hearing officer. I have no more to say.

Cooke: Alright.

Caller: Chatters something

Cooke: Well Mr Eustace said he has nothing more to say on the matter so it makes no sense you ask anymore questions

Caller: I am speaking to Mr Eustace.

Cooke: Well I am telling you what he said because like yo hard ah hearing, said he has nothing more to say on the issue. Do you understand that now? So he will speak no more with you, that’s what he said. You’re not listening, you only talking. We don’t have a monologue we have a dialogue. Good! [Hang-up]

Author’s note: What did my mother tell me about flies, molasses and vinegar?