Dear Nesta,I been walkin’ ’bout dis pas’ week, grinnin’ like Skinners mare, an’ my frien’ Philomena wanta know wha’ gine on, ’cause as far as she concern, dey en neffin to smile at – supermarket prices, ’stead o’ comin’ down, risin’ evah week, light bills higher dan a Easter kite, dem four lanes by Upton still confusin’ yuh head whenevah yuh got de misfortune to be in dah area, now de drought easin’ up ’pon we li’l bit, back come de snails playin’ hide an’ seek wif de bounty hunters, word ’bout de place is dat gangs linin’ up, an’ so it gine – so she now worried dat soon, muh address gine change to Black Rock! I had to explain to she wha’ got muh in dis mood – min’ yuh, I en know how long it gine las’!’Girl, couple weeks ago, I cyahn tell yuh how please I was to read in de paper dat it seem we cries ‘gainst cars dat let off all dah black smoke, finally reach guvment ears, an’ de Minister o’ Transport now mekkin’ it a “matter o’ urgency” to change t’ings. Now, you know, my motto is “action speak louder dan words” so I waitin’ to see dese fine words turn into law, an’ not en’ up in dah overcrowded file “Number T’irteen”! Ness, you would believe dah ethuh guvment had a Environmental Management Act ’pon de books fuh years, an’ en do neffin ’bout it, an’ all dis time, we breavin’ in all dah pollution dat en good fuh we healf! ’Sence de present guvment come ’pon de scene, dem admit legislation wasn’ in place to allow dem to intervene to stop dis pollution, but “plans were afoot” to set t’ings right. Well, dem plans seem to tek foot an’ walk right outta duh t’oughts! Imagine, between de two guvments, it tek all dese years befo’ we could get any relief, but, better late dan never! I now lookin’ forward to seein’ how guvment gine enforce dis law, ’cause we Bajans is a law unto weself nowadays! I was drivin’ behin’ a car de ethuh day dat only God mercy an’ scotch tape hol’in’ it togedduh! De smoke dah car belch out, gine up a incline, had muh wonderin’ ef it was ketchin’ a-fire! But de law gine tek care o’ all dat – right? Nex’ t’ing, I onderstan’ people sufferin’ at de han’s o’ any criminal ’bout hey, gine now be able to get compensation in any o’ de Law Courts! Befo’, only Magistrates had power to impose anyt’ing, but dis amen’ment to de Ack gine change all dah. Now, Judges from all Courts got dah power to use as duh see fit! Is true criminals get sen’ up to Dodds, or pay a fine, or get bine over to keep de peace, but wha’ ’bout all de sufferin’ victims go t’rough – mental an’ physical? Victims don’ get half de consideration duh deserve. Dis is a good move!’Now, I is one body dat feel airfares fuh travellin’ de Caribbean much too high, so I was glad enuff to read dat Mr Adrian Loveridge from de hotel industry, been suggestin’ dat guvment look at reducin’ de high taxes ’pon airfares to encourage mo’ Caribbean travel! Fares really too high, doh! No wonder some people prefer to put few mo’ dollars to de $800 fuh Trinidad or $1 000 to Guyana an’ go to Miami or New York to shop. I hope guvment look into dis matter, ’cause as you know, I en got no jet, nor I en know nobody wif one to gi’e muh a lif’!’Jes’ imagine! A Orstralian cookbook had to get reprint by de t’ousan’s, ’cause a recipe fuh pasta was callin’ fuh “salt an’ freshly ground black people”! De publisher say it was jes’ a silly mistake, but nuff people din’ see it dah way, an’ was blue vex! I cyahn blame dem! Tek care o’ yuhself,
Yuh frien’ Babsie
