Well, well, well. A nex Nomination Day come and gorn and we have a bag ah crapaud in all kinda colours lining up to han' out free juzee and grog and dhalpourie to get we vote like dey always does do each time dey feel to let we stain we fingers and feel dat we in charge ah de country really.

It doh matter which party dey telling yuh dat dey representing and it doh matter how much sweet talk dey giving yuh on yuh front porch; all ah dem after de same ting - yuh mark on de ballot paper.

So dat really is de power dat yuh does have, because yuh done know dat de moment dey add up all de votes and declare a winner dat yuh vote ent wut two dinner mint. Although two dinner mint probably worth more dan some ah dem crapaud in trute nowadays.

It does matter every time dat it have an election dat yuh does use dat power, not to change nutten and not to support yuh favourites but to emphasise dat de electorate does matter all de time, not jes every five years when some comedian doing stand-up in de House pulling something from he back pocket.

So doh feel dat after de dust settle dat you go see anymore of whoever yuh vote for dan yuh see in de last five years; is de same khaki pants eef we dh show dem dat we ent de same voters dey did see five years ago.

Understand carefully what we have to look forward to in 2020. Yuh dun know dat whoever win on November 5 holding de course on dis Fust World status business. It ent jes ah fantasy in Patos head, is a fix-up business long time. De World Bank, de UN, de OAS, de G7, all ah dem longtime looking to see we join up wid how all dem big countries does do ting.

Dat does mean we go see higher prices fuh gasoline and electricity and cable TV and ah stamp in de Post Office, jes like in all dem fancy country dat we all does want to rush to visit. It have a cost to have all dem clean streets, and nice car, and working utilities. And up until now Trini jes ent paying dey share ah dem cost from dey pocket, it coming from de oil dullahs.

So while we all rushing to reach Fust World because we want Walmart to shop in and flat panel TV in we house, we ent looking at de bigger picture and see how dem country creating dey own kinda dictatorship.

Mih cousin in Canada send meh de 'tory on de election dat jes hold in Ontario. It doh matter who win, or even de policies or promises. Dey ting to sit and tink about is dat de Government did win 72 of 119 seats and get a majority. But is only 52% of de electorate dat did bodder to vote, and of dat number only 40% actually voted for de winning Party.

So it mean dat de majority Government whoch could pass all kinda law for
4 years get in wid only about 20% of the people supporting dem. Dat is no kinda majority; numeric or moral. Dat is what does happen when people lose faith in the system and feel dat dey vote doh count for nutten.

We cyar let dat happen to we! We has to all vote, doh mind some ah we go vote fuh de loser; de country go win!

ALYUH GO OUT AND REGISTER!

 

BACKCHAT: Issue 041: Vol 8

Ok. Tants I heard you..I have no Diwali and Eid which I could get invited to here.
Christmas is beautiful though.
Enjoy all those great family/friends celebrations which I cannot experience here.
Best regards from Switzerland
//Switzerland

Salut ma Tante!
It is Thanksgiving in this part of the world and some of us are recovering from all that Turkey with extra caribbean side dishes like pelau and cranberry and washed down with lots of wine.At this time we give thanks for visits from kids who visit all the way from Silicon Valley .
Your column is still amusing so keep writing and we hope that the Elections afford the population as much amusement as they can take from it.
Have a Happy Eid,Divali and anything else worth celebrating.
Ciao!
//Canada

HELLO!!! Thanks!!!
//Trinidad & Tobago

Just dropping a line and to say have a Bless week!
//Canada

Doh worry tantie we go continue to drink we rum an eat we roti like normal. De day afta election everybody at maracas/Manazan eating drinking and f.......ng like notten neva happen so doh hot up yuh bobo bout anyting,we is ah peeple like dat, ah nine days wonder. It go soon pass by an all ah we go be bak tuh normal, bobol an corropoliction as usual, an de bess part .....we like it so . Doh mess wid we kakadah.
Piece an luv from de cole ina Hingland.
//England

Dear Tantie,
When are people going to see that the true leader of the UNC Alliance is neither Jack Warner nor Basdeo Panday, but is in fact Oma Panday. It was Oma who took the $10 million and hid it in the London bank account. It was Oma who happily received the $1 million gift of "charity for her children" from Duprey, and now it is Oma who is behind the move to place Mikela on the forefront. After all, this would be the Old Bas' last fight. Jack has already stated he is not in this for the money - all he wants is $1 in salary for whatever government position he holds in government. And we know that is not how much Oma wants.
Well, since in spite of all God's best efforts, Lucifer has prospered for at least two thousand years, maybe good does not always prevail over evil. Or perhaps God has a plan, but I confess to be totally perplexed as to what it may be.
Tell me Tants, does any of this make sense to you? I would have thought jail was the right opportunity for the old Bas to read the three "good books" he had requested - the Bible, the Gita and the Quoran. But he got out because of ill health only to be found flying to Germany with the real leader and the financier. I would have thought that God would be happy to sit with the old jailbird and teach him some values and principles. But no, he is back to the same old tricks, snarling and gnashing and baring his teeth. Why is it that paradise must always be so full of snakes?
//Trinidad & Tobago