Wey horse reach, donkey could reach too

Editor: This piece, is exclusively dedicated to Senator Jomo Thomas, current Speaker of the House of Assembly and is genuinely political. And I assure readers, that the metaphor, “wey horse reach, donkey could reach too” is a figure of speech in which a word is used for something it does not denote literally; it is often used to make a striking comparison.{{more}}

I am satisfied that Jomo has proven his mettle in the vineyard of turbulence. His early upbringing like other products of working class parents wasn’t a garden of roses. There were challenging and difficult times in his teen and early adult life. However, this did not deter him from dreaming big dreams; it did not stop him from pursuing worthy ambitions.

A societal myth has been imposed on us products of the working class and some of us who are students of sociology, that we are incapable of achieving white collar status and prestige that are the preserve of the middle and upper classes in the Vincentian society and worse, we are relegated to an underclass in society.

Jomo Sanga Thomas, of South Leeward and East Kingstown origins, has, through his outstanding achievements, proven this theory to be fallacious.

Irrespective of what side of the political spectrum we are on, we have to give Jomo a national standing ovation. He deserves it; he worked assiduously for his recognition. A graduate of the St Martin’s Secondary School, Jomo became immersed in political life as a teenager; tremendously influenced by his political grandmasters of the calibre of the ever rejuvenating Renwick Rose, the late Casper London, Oscar Allen and our present Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves.

Politics and political activities had become such an integral part of Jomo’s life, that he opted to sell with gusto “Freedom”, the organ of Yulimo – the left wing political party to which he belonged. Jomo maximized every opportunity of his life chances, albeit with ups and downs, to earn a place in the top echelons of the Vincentian society. He can be comfortably regarded as a symbol of struggle, of perseverance and a beacon of hope for working class youths to emulate.

Patmos Richards