“We wants no Indian Mayor for Arima”
The Rum Posse held another one of its end-of-week rendezvous, this time by Alfred. It was another long weekend, giving Alfred enough time to prepare for his guests. He has so much time that he almost overdid it! On the menu was baked pork, fried chicken, curried agouti, stew wild hog, Tobago flying fish broth, saffron rice, macaroni salad and a medley of ground provision.
In the bar were the usual drinks they were accustomed to imbibing – premium whisky; premium brandy; Campari; puncheon; White Oak rum; Tito’s vodka; the chasers to go with the alcohol; and of course, beers. As is the norm now for Alfred, there was also some bush rum (babash) for those so inclined.
All the Posse members were present: Big Bottom Beverly and her younger sister, Shirley; Barman; Balkie; Ramesh; Roshan; Sunil; and Anand and his wife, Rihanna.
The Posse members did not spend too much time on deciding which topic to discuss since most of them were Christians; and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday added to the solemnity of the occasion.
Many of the Posse members compared the demise of the PNM with Christ’s death on Good Friday and they all wondered if the PNM can ever be resurrected; not in three days, but in three years in time for the 2030 general election.
A few of the Posse members remarked that some empires fell through invasions while others collapsed under their own weight and they wondered if the latter is not what is happening with the PNM empire, the nation’s oldest political party.
Regardless of the ills the PNM was going through at the moment, one thing was quite clear to the Posse members and that is that currently, there is Bacchanal in the Balisier, the PNM’s chosen party emblem. The 70-year-old organisation was dying from self-inflicted wounds.
Big Bottom Beverly: Alfie, boy, is really a nice weekend for this meeting. Imagine four long days for we to party and one ah dem days is by you. So, on behalf of de Posse members as well as on my own behalf, thank you for having us at your home today. Yuh pot smelling nice, so ah hope dat we finish de old talk early, giving us enough time to do some serious damage to yuh food and beverages.
Alfred: Bev my girl, thanks for the kind sentiments. But you are well-assured that I eh think allyuh could do enough justice for all this food and drink it have here. Because, I will say it have much more where dem things come from. Don’t even try and test me.
Big Bottom Beverly: Alfie, we wouldn’t even bother to try. So anyway, what allyuh think ’bout de PNM party and de way it seem to be self-destructing?
Barman: Bev, I in shock. Imagine this PNM party is 70 years old; de first and oldest political party in this country, and the current set ah leaders and top guns behaving as if dey was only formed yesterday.
If Eric Williams or even Georgie Chambers was alive today, no way I feel what happening now would ah be taking place. I exposing meh age here, but I remember clear as day when Williams once tell he members, “when I talk no damn dog bark”. He even call some ah he ministers millstones; and from my understanding, not one ah dem had a word to say.
Sunil: Well Sunil, both ah we old like de hills then. I remember one time a big boy PNM, Dr Elton Richardson, went to have lunch with a big boy DLP member at a Chinese restaurant on St Vincent Street in town. Williams only hear about it, eh. He eh see it with he own two eye and he dismiss de doctor from de PNM one time. It wasn’t easy in dem days.
Ramesh: Easy or not, Sunil, times have changed. I feel de real reason for dis brouhaha over de Arima Mayor is because Ashford and he anti-Penny big pappies and dem doh want no Indian Mayor for Arima ever again.
I hear dey say that dey had Eden Rahim, a jeweller by profession, who was de very first Mayor of Arima of East Indian descent. Dat was from 1969 – 1972. Dey say he wasn’t good at all. Today, more than 50 years later, is 50 years eh! They comparing Bally with Rahim saying he worse than Rahim! I say it look like is all about race!
Roshan: Ford and dem on foolishness! Who was a worse Mayor of Arima than Eustace Nancis? Nancis who have Arima Door Centre. He is ah Indian? Steuuuups. He couldn’t even string two words together to make a proper sentence even if dey did double he salary.
He didn’t understand how a Borough is run, and under him Arima went to de dogs. What made me laugh however is when, inspite of, to put it nicely, his shortcomings, Rowley make him Chairman of NLCB and even a Director on the Board of the Heritage Company. Tell me ‘bout cronyism!
Rihanna: All this ole talk about Arima and Mayor Balliram Maharaj is just one big joke, yes. Talk on de ground is that Bally just write a book that nobody ever read and that he give ah piece ah money to Rowley to help him build Balisier House. In return, Rowley appointed him Mayor of Arima. If what people say is true, if I was Bally, I would take back de piece of Balisier House my money help build.
Balkie: What is even more laughable is the fact that the Arima Borough have not one thing right now that Bally or any Arimian for that matter could be proud of. Arima is the oldest Borough in de country. Is more than 136 years old. Is the only Borough with a Royal Charter from the then Governor of Trinidad, Sir William Robinson.
The Charter was issued by Queen Victoria in 1888. And more than that it is the second largest Borough in de country. Yet, it is the most depressed. Why Ashton and he clique eh try to improve de image of de Arima Borough and leave out all dis balisier in-fighting?
Anand: What is even worse, Balkie, is that the Arima Borough, a PNM stronghold, eh even have ah Town Hall like Chaguanas, a UNC stronghold; and Arima has been a PNM stronghold since 1956. Right now, dey begging for a lodging behind Xtra Foods.
De Municipal Police in Arima eh even have no real office; and as for that thing they call a market? That is a major eyesore in de heart of de Borough. Why Ford and dem eh see ’bout dem things and leave Bally alone to buy up all de property in Arima and to build de biggest mall right dey self!
Alfred: I think Ashton Ford, like a true Canadian, should go and join he family in Canada and leave de PNM, Penny and Bally alone. In fact, he should let Camille and Stuart Young and dem fight dey own battles. While all that going on, allyuh could come and battle with what I have on offer here, please.
Until next week
