Dear Nesta,
Don’ t’ink de weeks en flyin’ by. Li’l mo’, an’ I gine be wishin’ yuh a Happy Chris’mas! I don’ onderstan’ whey de time gone, but dis year partic’larly, it seem to me de monfs went by mo’ fas’ dan las’ year.
Wid de years flyin’ by befo’ yuh could even wink, ef we lucky, we might fine weself gettin’ ready to welcome de Governor General!
Some shops gettin’ in de Chris’mas ack a’ready, an’ trees an’ decorations beginnin’ to appear, but I en surprise. In Amurica, soon as October come roun’, shops start puttin’ up decorations, not only to get yuh in de spirit, but also to help start off de spennin’ spree dat sometimes lef’ yuh cryin’ yuh eyes out in January!
So why we shun’ do de same? After all, we good at pickin’ up de Amurican ways nowadays, like good li’l copycats!
I been wonderin’ how dis Chris’mas gine turn out fuh we, ’cause, from wuh I read in de daily papers, de outlook don’ seem too bright. Yuh hearin’ words like “wage freeze” an’ “price controls” dat mus’ mek yuh begin to realise t’ings en goin’ as duh should.
I remember some time las’ year, when a minister barely open ’e mout’ an’ sugges’ a wage freeze, how evahbody was up in arms, duh nearly went mad! Well, it din’ get too far an’ life went back to normal, but I wonder wuh would happen ef a wage freeze really had to get put in place dis time?
I don’ t’ink I would like to be in de new Finance Minister shoes, faif. Mr Sinckler got a good job ’pon ’e han’s, I won’ fool yuh! De ship o’ state been listin’ from side to side, wif only de unemployment figures movin’, an’ dem gine in de wrong direction – up!
So, to get dis economy off an’ runnin’ agen, ’e very well might have to tek de “bull by de horns” an’ do somet’ing drastic, like raisin’ taxes or puttin’ on a wage freeze, an’ aldoh it would be fuh we own good, it sure not to be too popular wif nuff people!
But sometimes, yuh got to be cruel to be kind! So, leh we wait an’ see! Anyway, ’e say ’e gine look at all ’e policy options to come up wif de right mix! Wuhevuh ’e decide, I glad to see dat ’e insis’ Guvment gine mek sure to look after de poor an’ underprivilege in de society, an’ it appear a Budget in de air!
It gine be int’restin’ to see how dis Budget tackle de recession dat don’ seem to be comin’ to an en’! I know worl’wide it still gine on, but sometimes I get de impression it was never hey in Buhbayduss, at leas’ fuh certain sections o’ de society!
Even wif unemployment risin’, it look as ef Bajans could still fin’ money to get out an’ about an’ enjoy duhself evuh weeken’ at some event or ethuh!
My nighber went twice fuh de year ’pon a cruise an’ nex’ week she flyin’ off fuh early Chris’mas shoppin’ in Amurica! Wuh all dah tell yuh? Dat some able while ethuhs unable!
So it good to hear dat de “unable” ones ’pon de new Finance Minister lis’! ’Cause, from wuh I could see, dem far outnumber de “ables”! Chile, it tek nuff money to live ’pon dis islan’, evuht’ing – food, housin’, utilities – cos’ de earf nowadays!
Yuh cyahn imagine how ruff it is fuh people dat got to live ’pon a fix income. Evuht’ing goin’ up excep’ duh money an’ livin’ still got to go on! No wonder summuch poor ole people always at de Lotto counter, hopin’ ’gainst hope, doh fuh mos’, dah is all it remain – hope!
Well, leh we hope better days comin’ wif dis new Finance Minister!
Tek care o’ yuhself
Yuh frien’ Babsie!
