TNN 96

Hello folks… an’ welcome again to we broadcast… (deep voice)… This Is TNN…… Yuh hear lie….dat is lie…….Teacher Percy say if yuh tell ah lie, yuh goin’ to hell as soon as yuh dieeeeeeee!… (Nelson …. (background music)

Jumpstation: Cobra in 2002; Politricks.

Man, Christmas an’ election was roll up in one dis year…… de Cobra eh get ah chance to beat Parang Finals in Arima or up in de hills in Paramin…talk ‘bout rain!  Man, like was de clouds had it in for meh! As ah was preparing to go out, is rain…we never see rain so in December…like de gods was weeping for de country when dey see what went on in elections!

So what ah could tell alyuh… Alicia Jagessar an’ Los Alumnos de San Juan win de Final again… four straight!  De good for days… an’ like ah did tell dem ‘bout 5 years ago, dat Alicia chile is ah original an’ she good wit’ it… doh play wit’ she… she go mash yuh up! 

Well, de shopping choices increase because PRICEMART open ah nex’ store out on de Western Peninsula an’ KMART supposed to open around the middle of dis year… all we have to do now is change we flag to de Stars and Stripes!

Ah real get dong on meh sorrel, punch-a-crème an’ ginger beer (but like ginger was in short supply dis year boy!).  Den ah had was to move house, so dat was ah nex’ t’ing….. ah miss one or two limes in de process……. ah give thanks for everything, make meh l’il church t’ing… yuh know de story… de reason for de season…..

New Years was more of de same… ah check out some family, I eh make no resolutions an’ prepare mehself to check out  de new kaiso releases…  Hmmmmm…. like we goin’ backwards at top speed boy….! Lyrical content worthy of ah slow Std. 5 student…. maybe it go stick on meh later…I suspect not.

To all of alyuh in de col’  an’ elsewhere HAPPY NEW YEAR and blessings for 2002!

Ah boy, we have really come to a sorry pass…. a damn sorry pass at dat! This is de only country in the world dat have ah “alternative government” an’ ah  “alternative Cabinet”.  Democracy is alive and well.. you want to form ah government…alright, go ahead…wha’ ‘bout you?…Wah yuh doin’ dis evening?   Leh we form ah government nah…. Apparently the communication system in de country kinda slow, so Bas has not yet realised dat de President has appointed Maddening as Prime Minister! 

Now what leavin’ ah bitter taste in meh mout is de piece ah nastiness dat take place…. consider.. we had ah 18-18 tie.. nobody have ah majority, nobody eh yielding so dey gone to the Prez an’ say “Robbie, choose one ah we to be Prime Minister…de Constitution give yuh de right to do dat… an’ whoever yuh choose we cool wit’ dat…”

So Robbie went away, come back an’ say..  “Hear ye Hear ye! I decree Papatrick Maddening will be de PM!”  Man, de words eh even good drop out de man  mout, Bas say “No way! Over meh dead body! Yuh didn’t do dat in accordance wit’ de Constitution… yuh was supposed to appoint me! I eh takin’ dat lyin’ dong, sittin’ or in any position!  Time for coalition government!”.  An’ how he goin’ to CARICOM an’ de UN an’ up an’ dong de country to make sure dat “justice” is done!   Man, he supporters start to dingolay…. dey had meeting, dey re-appoint Cabinet…dey say de Maddening administration, null, void, illegal, unconstitutional, etc….

When Robbie sen’ de man letter to be appointed Leader of de Opposition, he say he never indicated dat he would be willing to accept the role as Leader of Opposition.  

Is Carnival time gain.  Bas an’ de boys say dat since Robbie say he considered moral and spiritual values most important in deciding who to choose, he insult all UNC supporters an’ act against de Constitution… when de Constitutional preamble upholds “moral and spiritual values and respect for the rule of law”.  So he didn’t just pull it out of thin air…. an’ plus to dat… he coulda ask he dog Spot to lick de picture of whoever he t’ink should be PM an’ choose based on dat.. de Constitution gives him ABSOLUTE discretion to use his judgement in de case of ah tie…. so you doh even have to agree wit’ how de do it!
 

Now to bring some sanity to dis situation, ask de Cobra what he t’ink.. yuh eh feel so?  Now de Prez. had reasons for appointing either man as PM….. Bas did not lose de election so he could have been re-appointed, status quo an’ all dat an’ den he get 20,000 votes more dan de PNM…. But it also have odder considerations… namely, he went to de country for ah manadate to rule an’ did not get one… he in fact lost one seat, de Opposition gained two seats and the Opposition lost  some 10,000 votes less dan de the former government between the last election a year ago an’ now.   This indicates a definite shift away from de “status quo”.   An’ de most damning t’ing is dat wit Bas as leader, de government collapse within a year from internal wrangling…  You go give he back de government again….?   So de Prez. could go wit’ status quo or any one of a number of considerations…. any number coulda play!

If yuh feel de Prez interpret de Constitution wrong, den ask de courts to interpret it for you, but until such time , cool yuh tail until de courts hand dong ah decision… yuh cyah decide for yuhself dat de government “illegitimate” an’ behave like ah wajank.. nah man.… responsibility an’ rule of law, etc…. but apparently it best to mash up de place, get on bad and risk civil unrest. 

But of  course Papatrick had to pour gasoline on fire.. how dis government will hold office as long as necessary (it was really supposed to be until de Elections and Boundaries Commission clean up de list…man, hundreds of people eh get to vote, because of de hurry t’ing dey do……!), but like de man like de taste of power.. everybody expectin’ elections in about ah year.. but Papatrick non committal, den he pick ah Cabinet… man meh joiner coulda do better dan dat…de less said de better……!

Ah never see ah man try soooooo hard to squander goodwill in meh life!  Take yuh time, tread carefully, doh aggravate nobody, is 18-18….nah!   He put he wife as ah Minister!   Now I eh have nothin’ against de lady, she intelligent , she quaified, but my Lord……! As ah advisor, consultant, even on ah board, but in yuh Cabinet?  It eh have NOBODY else in de WHOLE country yuh coulda find for Education?  Wey he went to school…..? Leh we eh forget dat he appoint about 30 Ministers and Ministers in the Ministry of……  How big dis  so an’ so country is?!

So de gambolling continues, while progress is on hold.. ah watchin’…. ah was planning to hang up meh guns after Christmas… but ah go stay around ah see what happenin’ for de hour!

Dat’s all for dis week folks…remember any queries, questions, comments, hail outs etc…jus’ write to we anchorman Cobra at ttcobra1@hotmail.com  an’ we go get back to yuh…Take care care, alyuh, ah gone….Peace…..Play one for Winston Spree….ah sweet soundin’ melody…….(background music, Stalin)