I CAME ACROSS a article in the last SATURDAY SUN wid the headline, Ministry dealing with delinquent coconut vendors. Well, from the time I see dat headline, before I even read the first line o’ the article, I hear myself just blurt out, “well, it is about time”.
I doan understand why it is dat the authorities does always have tuh wait till things get outta hand and tuh the extreme before duh could do anything ’bout it. I aint telling you nuh lie: it does really gall me, hear?
Now, we come along and see people selling coconuts ’longside the road fuh years. We come along and see people stopping and picking up duh coconut water pon o’ Sunday; and we also come along and see people who does sell the coconuts, cleaning up the shells when duh done. Not so nowadays, soul; these new-fashion vendors like duh believe dat dem should drive up the highway, pick a spot dat clean, set up a makeshift table, unload all o’ duh coconuts there and start selling.
Well, I ain’t see not one thing wrong wid dat; remember, I just say dat duh come and find it clean as a whistle but by evening, when it is time tuh pack up, evah man does fling the rest o’ coconuts dat duh ain’t get sell, along wid duh bottles, buckets, funnels and tools and bong on pon the truck and guh long ’bout duh business, leaving all the coconut shells there pon the ground like somebody is tuh come after dem and clean dem up.
Sometimes the shells does stand there and dry down before anybody could decide tuh move dem and dem fellas out and gone tuh another location tuh stink it up and leave it again or wait til it get clean up tuh come back and do the same thing all ovah again. But ya see these kinda fellas so? all dem does be doing day in and day out is making bad fuh the fellas whose livelihood is selling coconuts. Some o’ these fellas does only sell coconuts when duh get dem; it ain’t something dat duh does do every day. dat is why duh does get on and look so. These is the ones dat the authorities should come down on and stop doing the lot o’ talking all the time.
Respect the law
All o’ we know how some people does holler out, carry on and keep bare igrant noise when ya gotta put rules and regulations in place, even though duh know dat duh wrong. But you know something? When the authorities stop all the lot o’ long talk, put things in place and stick tuh duh guns, despite all the foolish talk ’bout small man this and small the next, dem same people gine fall in line and learn tuh respect the law.
I does be in the Warrens area a lot and when I see the piles o’ coconut shell left long side the road, I does have tuh ask myself if the business people doan complain. it is ridiculous. It is about time the same ministry dat say duh gine deal wid the delinquent coconut vendors issue licences tuh the men who does sell coconuts for a living and who does make it their business tuh clean up the place when the evening come.
I ain’t see a thing wrong wid people selling and doing duh lil business ’longside the road because things hard and people gotta live but it is how duh do things man. If ya was tuh mind some people, this island would look like a garbage dump, both the sea and the land. some people just doan care dat people does come here from all ovah the world tuh enjoy the beauty of this island and some o’ these people who have been coming tuh Barbados fuh years now beginning tuh complain bout the state the island in now.
Ya know something? fuh this 50th anniversary of Barbados’ independence, I think the Government should look for and make 50 significant changes and stick tuh dem fuh the betterment of this nation.
• Mavis Beckles was born and raised in The Orleans. She has an opinion on everything.
