Every CDC show should be free pon TV

Ah went to pay my Cable TV bill on Chose-dey, and to find out why is it dat ah paying dem foh de ESPN Sports channel box, and ah not getting de World Cup matches played in Brazil.

Ah heard dat de company, Christopher Co-low-owe was charging an extra $30. 00 foh those who wanted to see de matches. Ah tell me-self dat is rubbish because, SVG is ah-philly-ate ah FIFA, and as long as we paying we Jews, we not suppose to pay extra to watch anything dat FIFA hosting.{{more}} Lately ah hearing neg-ah-teef vibes dat de parent ex-yuh-cute-teef of FIFA write de local ex-yuh-cute-teef in SVG say, dey keeping de books like de lady by de Red-is-three. Lie-Za want to know when de EX- Con-sell General and de Ex-Red-is-Staw coming to face de music.

From de moment ah asked de very polite cash-here at de Christopher Co-low-owe office way going on wid de World Cup matches, she handed me ah two page doc-yuh-mint, one wid de match fixtures and de other instructing me how to get into de now fare-most Box. She told me it was Free. Right dey’n’den ah drop de management ah lickle thank yuh note.

Ah forgot to meant-shun to Christopher Co-low-owe, to chase de CDC wid dis non-cents dey have de nation at ran-sum to pay extra if we want to watch de Carnival Shows live on TV. Ley me don’t give CDC ah hard time because dey desperately trying to raise three million dollars to finance de Carnival. Was de same problem Molly Arthur and his CDC had, raising money to run Carnival. Ah sub-committee from de CDC wid de cheerman Molly, Bamba Providence, Randy D was dey, ah think Omo Davis was de treasurer and ah few others. Buns, de god-father ah all games of chances was dey. Ah not dissing Buns, we went Grammar School to-get-her, he takes his chances, he is now wid de ULP, soon to chance his hands again wid de NDP. Was dat CDC team who convinced Cato dat de answer to all de problems finding money foh Sports and Culture in particular Carnival, was ah Lotto. De National Lottery is funded by de people ah dis country, de lickle two dollar big man as well as de hungry and angry lickle man on de street, is what accumulates to de millions dat Lotto has. And when Lotto finance de Carnival, is our money, so is unfair, is ridiculous to ask us to pay to watch ah Carnival show live in our homes again, we done pay foh dat when we took ah chance to win Lickle D or Big D!” By de way, Lie-Za say she fed up hearing de Guinness Ad “We have ah truck on de Road!” Why not “we have ah Pan Side on de Road!”

QUESSTELLE GO-VENOM-MEN’T BLOOMS

De Common Entrance results are out. De new name is de CPEA, same difference! ah puss is ah cat. Parents and children went thru nuff stress as teachers, aided and abetted by parents driving de students to de edge wid classes and extra classes, SBA’s plus additional home work and Test every week, some every day. I wish we would relax ah bit and let dem kids enjoy Primary School. Let dem engage in Guides and Scouts, 4H clubs, play musical instruments, sports and games, and relevant Bible studies. Dis race to pass Common Entrance is depriving de children of an enjoyable early Edd-yuh-care-shun. And we need to revisit de hurry bird system rushing dem thru University early, den dey return, wondering way next to study to find ah job. Some ah dem need to first find dey niche, wuk, den go off to University.

Having said dat ah wish to congratulate all de students who took de national CPEA exams. Those who passed, and those whose marks were short ah de pass mark. Ah happy foh young Laron Jones and his parents. Laron attended de Questelles Go-venom-ment and top de exams, One-dah-full.. But ah feel especially happy foh de Principal ah dat school, Orde Ballantyne, who modestly recognized down or up to de Janitor foh Laron’s and de school’s success. Ah know Orde since his dye-pa days. His parents, Gloria and Freddy lived close to me at Murray’s Village early in dey marriage. Ah did weight-training in dey family home at Frenches. De Ballantyne children are all gifted in Sports, as ole people would say: “mango don’t roll too far from under de tree.” Interestingly Orde, who was undoubtedly de most talented of dem all became a born again Christian very early at age twelve. He was ah fantastic track and field athlete and sportsman. At age 14, he played both cricket and football foh Grammar school, and declined an invitation to play foh de SVG Under 19 Soccer team; he opted instead foh Track and field: Long Jump, Shot Put and Discuss; representing SVG at Carifta way he won ah Gold.

But Orde is no wishy-washy, he did not get his Head-teacher’s promotion wid lick-boots, bring-go carry-come news carrying. He is very vocal and outspoken, not afraid to comment, especially when burning social issues are being discussed on de Radio. His frank comments are incisive and bite deep into ah corrupt ULP Admin. Dey’s no maybe why and when dey transferred Ballantyne from CW Prescod to Questelles Go-venom-ment school. But out of eve-ill comes good. Questelles School now blooming wid success. Long may it be so. And wid dat is gone ah gone again

One Love Bassy

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