Allyuh know dat in dis time of Easter I does have to wonder how dem fellas did write down so much 2000 years ago dat mekking sense even in a world wid Internet and all sorta fancy business dat dem ent even begin to imagine dat we was going and make. Is like dey had some sorta seerman who did tell dem dat it go have a country wid commess dat no-one go believe could be trute.

Is how many long years I hearing about cellphone competition coming and I done forget dat and settle down wid mih little TSTT Nokia dat dey gih out free las year. I really ent had no time wid all dem jefe talking about interconnect and TATT and all kinda ting dat really ent helping mih fren Enid in Toco. She still hoping to get a phone in she house, but dey tell she dat it ent have no pairs. She tell dem dat is only one phone she want and dey arks she if she want Internet too, and dat is where de whole ting fall down.

But ah was telling allyuh how I find dat de Good Book did real have parables fuh we wid dis cellphone business. After all de lackaray we get de April Fool Joke in trute when dem Digisell boy start up dey ting and is so dey all backpedalling. All de talk dey did give we about how cheap dey go be and how tings go be nice. Well it look like all we do is settle down wid two setta ah de same ting. And dat is exactly what cellphone companies does be. Dem ent come to help we, dem come to make dullahs on we head. Nutten wrong wid dat at all, but at least dey could ah do sometim different and tell we dat up front.

So is how I see dis in de Good Book? Well in de olden days it had a people who was looking for a saviour because dey was getting oppress by de Romans and dem. Trute be told de Romans wasn't too bothered wid having to organise de masses, so dey leff de Jews and dem to run dey own business, as long as Caesar get he taxes. De Governor ent really want to have to get involve in nutten dat go interfere wid he easy life, so when dem boys come by he to say dat Jesus was causing troubles....well yuh know de rest ah de story.

Is like we ent learn nutten at all. Is long Years we aksing for a better service from Telco, and we get blank by de same government dat we elect to run de ting. Dem ent had no interest in fixing nutten good for we, as long as de telco tax dullahs was flowing dem was happy. Every now and den we go get a little fix up wid a discount here and there, but tings did never get fix right. All of a sudden de mark buss and Digisell start de ting and yuh hearing price drop over by dem TSTT fellas for all sort ah ting. Well yuh has to wonder what really going on behind all dem close door meetings in TATT dat so secret wid we money. All ah dem want to talk about transparency but none ah dem want to talk about nutten to any ah we.

So is what we really get now dat we have 2 cellphone companies in we tail? Well fuss it have more people wearing new juzzy, and all kinda freeco phone handing out, or so town say. But when yuh hit dem shop is only selling dey selling. And when yuh watch de rates is ah 5 cents here and ah 10 cents dere dat yuh saving. It ent have enough for a full dullah wine. I ent too sure who feel we doing better now but I jes cornfuse wid all dem chart and percentage I ent know where to tun fuss.

But it have some simple tings for ordinary people like we to look for.
Fuss to begin, Digisell ent no saviour, dem come to tek we money jes like de ressa dem. Second, TSTT for years say how dey hard up and cyar reduce dey rates for calling yuh nennen in Brooklyn, but BRAPS dey drop de rate to two bob ah minute. And leh we doh forget dat it still have Lackatel to startup, if dat ever get off de ground.

So allyuh watch allyuh self wid dem so. Take de free phone and say tanks, but doh feel dat it ent have no cost. It have thirty shilling dat dem all want from we and is up to we to tell deny dem. We has to make dem all gih we good service for a fair price. Because 2000 years ago it had ah man who get heself lynch because he did want to tell people to tink fuh deyself, to wuk hard and expect respect, and to help each other when dey did need ah hand.

I still waiting to see who go turn out to be de Judas in dis play, because is loud dullahs passing in dis ting, and yuh know it have all sort ah fellahs dey wid dey hand out.
 

BACKCHAT: Issue 14

Please repeat this backchat in every issue. Yuh preach //Trinidad

I'd like to respond to my fellow Trini's letter in the last newsletter. Friend, what are YOU doing to help the situation? All those things you listed as what we should be doing before we 'talk to YOU about crime solving' are great things ............ are you doing them? When someone takes the time to heed a call to wear black or drive with their headlights on or walk for three hours in the blazing hot sun or stop and sign a petition, they're doing something....... however small. The energy is going in the right place. 'Judge not lest ye be judged' indeed...... just what do you think you are doing in your email? You are JUDGING those people.
You go ahead and get off that self-righteous throne and volunteer your time & expertise and donate part of your paycheck and be better than the rest of us........... we're ok with that.
//Trinidad