Diary of an Ingrate [Chapter 1]
Fri Jan 10, 2013
by Frank E da Silva
“â¦AND I keep telling people and they donât 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 ofâ¦. – it ainât an ambition that I had – it never has been an ambition that I have. If it come, it come, if it ainât come, it ainât comeâ¦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 â¦but I decided to stick it outâ¦but I have no overwhelming desire to be PM – NONE WHATSOEVERâ¦and I want people in our party to understand that. Is no⦠is how I feel, is how I feelâ¦.â 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 Ingratitudeâ, “The Face of Ingratitudeâ which would have required a photo [lol], or “Biography of an Arrogant Ingrateâ 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 â¦. 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 â¦that at the age of 12, Cammie King ran up to bowl to him (the islandâs 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 institutionâ¦.
I recall even at the point of time when I took what was the equivalent of the A âlevels where we used to share facilities with the high school…. I was told by a teacher – I donât want to call her name, the Lord bless her soul – “Eustace you will NEVER pass Geography at A âlevelâ 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.â
Authorâs note: Is James F Mitchell seen as authority who forced Arnhim into position? See Sir Jamesâs 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, Iâve 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. Thatâs 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 donât want to win on that basis. So oh that is a good way to win election. Well I donât 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.
Authorâs note: It is down right misleading to say that “all those persons would have lost their little $5000, or $3000 and $4000.â
Entry: Matthew Thomas, StayAwake,
01 23 12
â¦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 officeâ¦who benefits? Is the NDP party. Is it reasonable for us to come hereâ¦then on weekendsâ¦take your vehicle⦠use your energy, moneyâ¦mount platforms, setup equipment to have political meetingsâ¦without even gratis from the party which stands to benefitâ¦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 itâs important that you visit Taiwan and if you think that itâs 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 canât 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 canât 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, isnât 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 sayingâ¦
Eustace: That is not turning down anything
Chester Connell: Weâre talking about building relationships, we need to build relationships.
Eustace: Weâll build our relationships, donât worry about that.
Authorâs 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 donât 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 donât want to mention on the air and for that reason Iâll 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, thatâs what he said. Youâre not listening, you only talking. We donât have a monologue we have a dialogue. Good! [Hang-up]
Authorâs note: What did my mother tell me about flies, molasses and vinegar?
Comments
