IT was bound to happen. Sometimes a difficult circumstance brings out the best in people. On those occasions, it can also bring out the worst.Cou Cou has one worst case scenario to report.Information is that even before anything definitive is known about a situation, a certain operative sought out the support of six of his colleagues to back him as the head of a group in the event of a particular possible eventuality.His lobbying is being viewed as particularly premature as no one knows the situation.The thing is, this operative is considered as highly favoured.But, like Macbeth, it is crystal clear that his overriding ambition is almost certain to prove his undoing.Lessons to be learntWhen one talks about a “garrison” in Barbados, it is usually a race-track or a school. When one talks of “don” it is usually to put on clothes or make-up, or may be someone’s first name. But, in at least one other Caribbean island, a “don” could be a wheeler and dealer in substances best left untouched, and a garrison is often someplace that not everyone can enter, especially depending on identity and allegiances.In that Caribbean country, a “don” attaches himself to politicos, and through patronage he becomes virtually untouchable, and his community becomes his “garrison”.Now whispers are reaching Cou Cou that though “don” is still “don” in Barbados, and one can still park out by the “garrison”, there are some hell-bent on mimicking that other Caribbean territory.Word is that there are some who, though not “don” in name, are potentially “don” in nature and are seeking to turn certain housing areas into “garrisons”. And how are they doing it?Similar to their northern colleagues, they are diverting money gained from certain works into their other shadowy business, and, like in the north, their sponsors here are turning a blind eye to their activities. There are two sponsors in particular. In that northern island, many have seen a mark on a piece of paper as worth turning a blind eye and are now facing the consequences. And therein lies the lesson.Many are telling Cou Cou that a “don” and a “garrison” in Bim need to remain just what they are.New horizonsTHOUGH he might have lost a crown at home, the talents of a certain individual have been seen as so vital that another Caribbean island has moved with dispatch to retain his services at a very senior and extremely lucrative level.He will be doing some restructuring work in the island. And if there is one country that needs the help after the forced departure of one of its main patrons, this country needs the expertise now more than ever.The only concern, though, is whether his absence will affect the people who support him in his neck of the woods, though some retort that he is always absent anyhow.Free for oneA certain political operative is being warned to stop embarrassing the people who have sponsored him.Word reaching Cou Cou is that this particular individual is using a state jeep to drive about rural communities on family outings, claiming travel, and producing nothing to show why taxpayers should continue to provide him with a salary, allowances and other perks.People at his office are talking and criticising his monthly financial abuses.
