AS MISS NIKKI and Jus Jase pun the Caribbean Super Station, the CSS, would say, the big story last week in Bubbadus seemed to be “to speak or not to speak”.
Bubbadus sweet. Imagine the big story being whether the “Love man” should speak or not. Imagine that not only Government ministers but journalists advancing reasons pun behalf of a man who is well read and eloquent as if he can’t speak fuh heself and people trying to explain if, when and why not to speak.
So the question remains “to speak or not to speak?” and de truth is dat there are times when yuh should keep yuh mout’ shut and times to op it tin.
Iffing Dr Williams did not say one from ten leaves nought we might still have a West Indies Federation, not so? Poor Sarah Palin thought she could see Russia from she backyard and therefore she was knowledgeable ’bout foreign affairs.
One night pun CBCTV many years ago the late great National Hero the Right Excellent Errol Barrow was holding a Press conference. A journalist get cut up fine like seasoning when in response a statement that Government was looking at an airport fuh St Lucy (Kelly, there is still hope fuh you, boy) de reporter say, “So Government will have to acquire the plantation at Spring Hall?” Looking away while addressing the journalist, de Skipper ask he ”You went away?” “No sir.” “Man, you sure you have not been living overseas?” “No, sir.” “Well, you woulda have to have been living overseas, otherwise as a journalist you woulda know that the Government own that plantation fuh years.” De fella did not speak fuh de rest of the Press conference and soon after he did go away – as in migrate.
A fella who nuse-ed to step out pun he wife always use to say that he was at a particular friend and iffing she want he to call he there. Every time she call de friend used to say he just left, he should be almost home or something so. But she could never get to speak to he. So one day she figure it out and confront he: “Let me tell wunnah something. You and Jerry think I foolish. Every time I call there fuh you, I could never get to speak to you, you just left, you nearly home. Wunnah think that I foolish? You think I don’t know wha going on?” Tempted to come clean and confess, my boy, skilled in de art of speaking only when absolutely necessary, keep quiet. Hear he wife: “Yuh keeping quiet, nuh. I done know that every time I call there fuh you and he telling me that you just left, I done know that you there wid he but don’t want to talk to me. But it is ok.” Now iffing my boy had open he mout’ he woulda give away de story. He lived to percolate another day.
The story goes that de former president of the Republic of Guyana, Forbes Burnham, once challenged a minister for allegedly saying that there was no freedom of speech in the republic: “Comrade leader, it is not freedom of speech that I am worried about. I accept that there is freedom of speech in de republic – it is freedom AFTER speech that I am worried about.”
But a man tell me there was one time he wished he had shut he mout’, that he lived to regret two words that haunt he to this day. Those words were “I do”.
Time fuh de Vendor to shut up.
I Market Vendor gone fuh now; you have a blessed and a wonderful day, yuh hear.
