Dear Nesta,
Budget Day come an’ gone, an’ all de bewzin’ an’ blastin’ now tekkin’ place, as to wuh wrong an’ wuh en wrong wid dis Budget.
Now, I’s neithuh a finance person nor a “economizer” – my knowledge o’ dem two run as far as de shop, when I tryin’ to add up muh bill to see ef I got sufficient change – so I lissen to de speeches an’ leh duh pass over muh head, knowin’ full well dat wuhevah de minister put forward, wevver I like it or not, dey en one bless-ed t’ing I could do ’bout it, but jes’ try an’ live ’long as bes’ I could. Ef I was able to eat salmon befo’ (big joke), an’ t’ings change, an’ I could only now afford mackerel – aldoh I cyhan stan’ it – amen to dat! I gine mek sure my pressure don’ go up!
Mr Sinckler really had my sympat’y las’ Tuesduh, doh. I wunta like to be in he shoes fuh neffin. It was a case o’ “damn ef ‘e do” an’ “damn ef ‘e don’t”, so he en had much chance o’ winnin’ eithuh way. Philomena din ’gree. She say as far as she concern, right or wrong, she an’ a lot mo’, was onder de impression we wasn’ doin’ too bad – befo’ an’ sence elections – an’ t’ings did fairly stable.
Now, over de pas’ weeks, sence de Central Bank Guvnor come out an’ explain how we ’pon a downward slide, we start hearin’ ’bout a $400 million deficit, mekkin’ she realize somet’ing had to be wrong. So why should de minister get she sympat’y now he en had no ethuh choice but to share out all dah bitter medicine in a effort to turn ’roun’ de country. How come we in sech deep trouble?
Mr Sinckler blame we troubles ’pon de worl’ economic situation, but I cyahn accep’ dah jes-so, when yuh see how ethuh countries – even Guyana – growin’ durin’ dis same period. So come agen, Mr Minister! Anyway, jes’ like he, we en got no choice neithuh, as dis medicine is a necessary evil, an’ to get de islan’ back ’pon track, mos’ people got to tek a li’l tas’e.
’E machete cut lef’ an’ right, it en miss much. Some t’ings dat fall onder e’ knife: de horsepittle (dat institution need help, not cuts); a tax ’pon lottery winnin’s over $100 000; reverse tax credit cut in half – dah one got nuff folks in de Turnin’ cussin’, quarrelin’ an’ wonderin’ how duh now gine pay some o’ duh bills; temporary tax ’pon bank assets; reductions in transfers an’ subsidiaries; hours cut fuh temporary staff.
I en know ef dah mean some gine get sen’ home, but sence Mr Sinckler say loud an’ clear, no job losses, I waitin’ to see wuh gine happen.
’Pon’ de ethuh han’, tourism “get a pick”.
VAT reduction to 7.5 per cent an’ upgradin’ o’ de hotel produck.
But one proposal dat got de islan’ split in two is ’bout Bajan students havin’ to pay university fees. Wuhloss. Dah is a hot one! People dat don’ ’gree wid it got de Opposition ’pon duh side, pushin’ fuh Guvment to “t’ink twice”, while ethuhs feel it is high time students start payin’ an’ stickin’ out dat Guvment doin’ de right t’ing. Duh argue dat students all over de worl’ pay university fees, so why not Bajans? Tummuch “free rides” in dis country. De coffers dryin’ up!
Well, may de bes’ body win!
Tek care o’ yuhself,
Yuh frien’, Babsie.