V
THE VINCENTIAN. FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2016. 9.
Letters contact; avoid all public gatherings, meetings, clubs and organizations not specially endorsed by the Government; be careful which church you choose to attend: not all are approved. These measures will not guarantee immunity from scrutiny or possible detention or reprisal, but that were never enforced inoffensive or below-the- might provide a buffer– before are not only being radar daily behaviour, to and are exactly the fiercely enforced, but re- avoid attention or courses of conduct the interpreted in a broader suspicion that could current administration and more restrictive result in reflexive police desires: compliance, manner. I won’t, here, action? subservience, and deal with the court’s Some may become obedience. failure (under what complicit in their own CUNNING: You can find allies. The tortoise pressure?) to provide oppression. Some knows how to embrace transparency regarding exaggerate the weight many questions as to and size of the obstacles its mate. Time is short and the water is vote counts and ballot in front of them. Some rising. It is not necessary box security following feel dehumanized, to hope in order to the last election. The forsaken, doomed. undertake; it is not resulting anger and Perhaps for them, necessary to succeed in confusion has led to then SILENCE is one order to persevere. What many ordinary citizens option: voice no political is important is not to protesting not only the opinions either in public become visible, be detained, suffer announced outcome of or among close friends; reprisals, be removed the election, but the very distance yourself from from your job or the body processes of the associates who politic, from society, or proceedings before, themselves might be from the resistance. during, and after the considered “enemies of We must become election. the State”; advise your invisible. The currently children to repress any “Do you think he’s empowered Government inclination to say kidding?” “No, I don’t; has succeeded in anything to anybody that shut up and go home and don’t call me on the exercising judiciary and might be taken as an telephone! We’ll get police power to limit, opinion contrary to any together later, restrict, suppress and (it Government policy or somewhere else, with is their hope) to position; keep relatives eliminate popular, public with questionable views others!” opposition. So what must at arm’s length or JOE now be considered divorce yourself from all
Silence, exile or cunning?
IF YOU LIVE in a police state (as we do here, in St. Vincent & The Grenadines), there are certain behavioural options you are faced with. You can protest, and see just how far the Government is willing to go before any pretense of democracy is dispelled, and all opponents become enemies of the state and subject to arrest and indefinite incarceration or “disappearance”, (Pinochet in Chile, “The Dirty War” in Argentina, Franco in Spain, etc.), or you can go underground and organize, or you choose one of James Joyce’s options: Silence, Exile, or Cunning. If you do not choose Exile (emigration), as many already have, what are the new rules? What will survivor behaviour consist of? Violent resistance now seems futile (read the short stories of Alexandr Solzhenitsyn). Old laws
OECS PMs not sitting easy WHAT REALLY going on with the Prime Ministers we have in the OECS? Our own PM Gonzy facing a whole set a’ protest action from the Opposition. People coming out on the street daily and look what happen last week - the police move on the protestors with shield and what have you. Like they expected a riot or what? Gonzy know that he not sitting easy, but you know, he will not give in, and Lord have mercy, the country will be a boiling pot ready to run over if he remains stubborn as Mr. Barnard’s mule. The political situation looks like it will remain unstable, and that, Mr. Editor, Argyle airport or no Argyle airport, will not be good for investment. It’s no better in the rest of the OECS. In Antigua, the new PM, Mr. Browne, is facing a whole set of confrontation over some deal his beautiful wife is said to be involved in. I understand is some US$2m venture capital fund or some big sounding thing like that. Whatever it is, the opposition smell something fishy and turn on the pressure on PM Browne, who is now threatening to sue anybody who threaten his wife’s integrity. Sounds familiar? Down in Grenada, is ‘nuff’ opposition to PM Dr. Mitchell over the sale of some Camerhogne
Park, to some Egyptian millionaire, who plan to put down some elaborate resort. Grenadians accusing their PM of not being patriotic, saying how he selling out the assets of the country, and with that, he selling the birthright of Grenadians. He got a real spicy situation to deal with down there in the Land of Spice. This thing about heritage versus development is not an easy business. In Dominica, the PM, ‘young’ Skerrit, who some people say is Gonzy’s protégé, is in the firing line again. Seems the old accusation of PM Skerrit creaming off some of the money charged for diplomatic passports and economic citizenship has resurfaced. The talk there is that some of those monies ended up in some Charitable Foundation’s account, of which PM Skerrit is a signatory. Whatever, he still has to answer to this accusation, but he continues to jump around the issue like his country’s Mountain Chicken. As for St. Lucia’s PM, Dr. Anthony, he not making himself a favourite with this whole diplomatic immunity thing concerning some fellow called Dr. Juffali, who is supposed to be that country’s Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). Seems the
man is involved in some civil matter with his wife, and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office asked Kenny to waive the man’s diplomatic immunity, so he could answer like any ordinary citizen in court, but Dr. Anthony bluntly refused. Now St. Lucians asking Anthony a whole set a questions about this questionable man he appoint as an ambassador. Hot water like the Soufriere Springs for him. And up in St. Kitts, the new fellow Harris suffering from the effects of his predecessor’s Citizen by Investment Programme. Some shady fellows coming out of the cracks with St. Kitts citizenship, and the people just don’t like that. But it seems this programme bringing in good money, and the new man Harris doesn’t look like he has any intention of changing it. He carrying one of them St. Kitts monkeys on his back after a popular victory. So you see, Mr. Editor, things ain’t looking so good for the boys at the top of governments in the OECS, beginning with our own Dr. Gonzy. Mr. Editor, you think the fellows suffering from Gonzyritis or what? Any suggestions to make as far as remedies are concerned? Watchdog
The assessment of tradesmen THERE IS A GROUP of female from Barbados currently on this island, who have claimed on radio that they have the authority to issue National Proficiency certification. Can our government (Ministry of Education) guarantee that this group is truly what they say they are? Sir, in 2003, I was selected to do a National Standard of Competence, using books from Jamaica’s Hearts Trust. Many of us tradesmen contributed and we (had) printed, books in masonry, carpentry, electrical wiring, plumbing, and in the service division, only to find out later that Hearts Trust Foundation had no authority to issue certificates. There were tradesmen here who did assessment, but the certificate was void. Next came City and Guilds of London, again through Trevor Hamilton Asc. of Jamaica as agent. Mr. Editor, this agent wanted $5,000 for assessment towards getting your certification. If you failed, you lost your money. Mr. Editor, with these two (2) companies, I was selected to be one of the Assessors with each of these (two) entities. A calypsonian from the area of the Round About at Arnos Vale wanted me to assess him, but I showed him that that was too much money to pay for someone just to say yes, and that he already knew the trade. The breakdown for that $5,000 was as follows: London - $2,000, Jamaica $2,000, SVG Agent $600, SVG Assessor $400. Who has to visit the candidate wherever he is working to assess him? Books that can be had from ‘STAVET” Kingstown will show me contributing in three areas: masonry, carpentry, roofing, when Hearts Trust Assessor came to SVG. They used a few locals, in a room. Sir, a construction worker must be assessed on the job, not in an enclosed room. Hutchie - builder
More blessings needed for St. Vincent IT IS NICE to love the land of your birth, but when I hear people calling from overseas saying ‘My Blessed Hairouna, St. Vincent’, I get kind of confused. It makes me wonder why they continue with such a reference; whether it is because they can’t come home or because it’s just nice spoken words. My friend, a country that is always begging and borrowing could never be a blessed country. Let me tell you what is blessing. Blessing is when you have plenty to give, and plenty to offer. God blessed Abraham with riches, so he could be a blessing to others. In this country, they have a few business places that are successful, and could be a blessing to others. On the streets, there are a lot of vendors. The middle class people hardly buy from them. The poor people are the ones buy from them. But poor people don’t always get a regular road job. Many of them have to wait until Carnival and Christmas seasons come around. Those people who live overseas are enjoying all the blessings. Instead of calling on the radios and saying ‘I love my Blessed St. Vincent’, they should come back home with all their blessings, so they could be a blessing to their fellow Vincentians. Alistair ‘Live Up’ Simon