Dear Nesta,
I beginnin’ to suffer from “giddy-head” tryin’ to sort out wuh is troof an’ wuh is fiction, as dese two political parties keep-on sparrin’ wid one anethuh, bofe in an’ outta Parliament.
Sence dat eventful day, 13th August, when de Finance Minister onleash’ a Budget dat got mos’ people still arguin’ an’ quarrellin’, po’ Philomena an’ muhself don’ know which way to turn or who to believe no mo’. From de start, de Opposition Leader been sayin’ dat dis Budget could only bring misery to de country ef all de measures get implement as duh stan’ . . . an’ she en changin’ she tune. After hammerin’ home dis fack evah chance she get, she finally decide to call fuh a no-confidence motion ’gains’ de finance minister.
Befo’ tekkin’ it to Parliament, de Bees had a mass rally when duh also went ’roun’ gettin’ signatures o’ all Bajans onhappy wid de way duh feel de country headin’. Well, Philomena put on she red T-shirt (she also got a yellow an’ blue one, an’ tell muh she en de onlies’ body), an’ went off to de rally.
My interes’ was really in de number o’ people turnin’ out fuh dis occasion an’ signin’ up big an’ bol’, as I know we Bajans got de habit o’ “fadin’” ’way from “conflick” after promisin’ nuff back-up to de body in de group brave enough to stan’ up fuh duh beliefs. When dah person gone forward, feelin’ duh got de ethuhs support, an’ look back to confirm it . . . not a soul in sight! Rememberin’ dat, I was please when Philomena tell muh ’bout de large crowd turnin’ up an’ openly signin’ duh names. Eithuh Bajans changin’, or people mussee real fed-up fuh troof. (She en tell muh ef she sign or not, doh.)
Well, Ms Mottley no-confidence motion, lightin’ up de sky at de rally, fizz out in Parliament like a damp squib. Dah wasn’ no surprise. De surprise was de way bofe sides reack to it. Firs’, only ’bout t’ree Bees t’ought it necessary to back she up an’ – perhaps it was a plan – de Guvment side en had one t’ing to say. Duh treat it wid bare contemp’. Silence reigned in dat Honourable Chamber! Not a man open ’e mouf, excep’ at votin’ time, when one an’ all gi’e duh support to Mr Sinckler. You mean nobody a-tall en had neffin to contribute to dat debate, not even we leader? Mus’ Bajans tek dat deep silence to mean dem ’gree wid de way Mr Sinckler handlin’ dis country? He wrap up de “show” by defendin’ ’e position, tellin’ we de bigges’ t’reat to Buhbayduss “stability an’ future economic recovery” was de Opposition, not he.
It din en’ dey. Mr Sinckler den turn an’ tek we in ’e confidence by tellin’ we how de police warn ’e earlier-on dat “two people were overheard plannin’ to shoot me”. Lord, dah turrble, doh. We en need dat hey. Who would wanta do a t’ing like dat? C’dear! Po’ Mr Sinckler, he might ha’ to start walkin’ wid a bodyguard. De onlies’ t’ing, who gine pay dah bill? Taxpayers?
Meantime, Mr Sinckler, fresh from he victory, inform Bajans dis Budget gine t’rough “as is”, ’e en budgin’. Ouch, rough seas ahead! He now quite vocal ’bout de bon’ issue as well; I read he say de $500 million Guvment was tryin’ to get was all part o’ de Guvment strategy fuh financin’ de 2013/14 fiscal debt. But up come de Central Bank Guvnor sayin’ somet’ing quite diff’rent. He say dis wasn’ so, dah money was jes’ foreign exchange “insurance” we coulda do widout, anyhow.
Y’see why I gettin’ de “giddy-head”? Nowadays, yuh cyhan tell fack from fiction!
Tek care o’ yuhself.
Yuh frien’, Babsie.
