The Rum Posse held its usual end of week lime, this time by Balkie who lamented the fact that his turn to host was too long in coming. And because he felt that it took too long for him to host, he went all out to impress and shadily tried to tell his colleagues what they had been missing.
On the menu, which he printed with cards identifying the different items, was: egg fried rice; beef lasagna; potato pie; macaroni salad; butter cassava; callaloo; beef bone gravy; fry bbq chicken; fry bbq pork; fry bbq fish; and a large bowl of tossed salad with croutons. In the bar was the usual premium whisky brands; brandy; White Oak rum, Tito vodka, Angostura puncheon, Campari, beers, and chasers.
Just as the last week by Anand and Rihanna, the Rum Posse members were all present: Big Bottom Beverly and her younger sister, Shirley; Alfred; Anand and Rihanna; Barman; Ramesh; Roshan; and Sunil.
With the budget debate continuing to dominate the news this past week the MPs on both sides of the parliamentary divide we making their contributions, thus allowing the nation to have a peek into what the government has done and what the government has failed to do. In listening to the debate, many of the Posse members came to the conclusion that Trinidad and Tobago is a nation of scoffers. A scoffer is described as one who mocks, jeers at, or speaks about someone, a belief, or an idea, with contempt and derision. In the Cambridge dictionary, a scoffer is someone who laughs and speaks about a person or idea in a way that shows that they think that person or idea is stupid or silly. In the view of many, this has been the order of the day these past few weeks, both inside and outside the Parliament.
After listening to the budget debate, the general consensus among the Rum Posse members was that we are indeed a nation of scoffers.
Balkie: Well, a most hearty welcome to my favourite people. This lime at me was a long time in coming. So, make allyuhselves at home and leh we get on with de la couray.
Big Bottom Beverly: Wait, wait, wait. Hold on, Balks, hold on.You doing as if you eh know de drill. We have to first thank you for having us at your home and the refreshments which we can’t wait to get down on. Is true you anxious to start, but having said that, let’s begin to examine and explore us as a nation of scoffers.
Anand: After taking in the budget debate in the Lower House, I have to agree that a nation of scoffers is what we are. Parliamentarians tend to be critical of one another and it is as if they are competing to see who could be the most hated, the most derisive, or the most obscene. They does mock each other, deride one another, jeer and label. Sometimes it real hard to not get depressed.
Shirley: Anand, I hear and understand what you saying, eh. But at the same time, we got to be careful. Criticising a budget doh really make somebody a scoffer. If food costing more, bills piling up, and yuh income eh rising, I feel you entitled to scoff and question anybody who saying things improving. What bothers me is when somebody reject a suggestion before they even hear it fully, simply because of who talking. Is like people does ignore de message and focus on de messenger.
Roshan: Shirley, I agree with that. You must know it have people who not prepared to give this government credit for anything. If a minister announce something, de Opposition laugh and giggle. If the minister say nothing, dey complain. If the Minister consult, de Minister wasting time. If he act, he dictatorial. At some point we have to ask whether people want improvements in their daily lives or whether they want government to fail so dey could say dey was right. De only trouble is dat is de same bad behaviour on both sides in de Parliament.
Barman: Roshan, I find that you and some other people so determined to defend this Government that even when something wrong, allyuh so does explain why de wrong is necessary on the road to the right. You cyah tell people to be patient without telling them what dey waiting for and when dey should expect it. You living comfortable, comfortable in Lange Park. A man who counting he money by de grocery cashier bound to have ah different relationship with patience.
Roshan: Just because a man living in Lange Park doh mean he eh understand hardship eh. As I was telling somebody just de other day, every single one ah we experience some form of hardship or de other. I do feel that any ah we does feel de pain.
Barman: Doh get me wrong. Ah not saying you cyah understand hardship. But when you have to literally wonder what you eating tomorrow is ah different kind ah hardship.
Ramesh: Roshan and Barman, two ah allyuh making sense, but we going off topic. Hear my problem. I listen to de budget debate because I really trying to understand and figure out how any budgetary measure going to affect me. And just like the two ah allyuh, before long, one man talking ‘bout what another one in parliament do ten years ago; ah next one shouting across de floor and, in de end, ah still eh know what de budgetary measure mean. By de time dey finish scoffing about who wrong and who right, I forget what was supposed to get better.
Alfred: Ramesh, history important. Yuh cyah assess ah government performance without considering what it inherit.
Big Bottom Beverly: True, Alfie. But if ah hire you to fix mih roof, while I expect you to show me where de last roof man make he mistakes, everytime rain fall I eh expect you to stand up in meh bedroom and give meh another lecture ‘bout de last roof man. At some point I would expect that you would pick up yuh hammer and pong nail.
Rihanna: Again, like we straying. But this scoffing thing started long before this Parliament. And unless we de people doh nip it in de bud, it will only get worse. One of the problems is that everybody in dis country is ah expert and every other person dotish.
Shirley: Dat is de difference right there. Advice supposed to help somebody improve. Scoffing is an attempt at making somebody feel small. We does confuse de two. A child give ah wrong answer to ah question, and a grown person laugh. Next time even if de child think he know de answer, he go be ‘fraid to open he mouth. Then we complaining young people have no confidence.
Alfred: Well, ah hope allyuh not proposing that we stop making jokes. Satire have a purpose. People in authority must be able to take ridicule.
Barman: Nobody banning jokes, Alfie. Otherwise dis Posse would have to register as a prayer group. But if you remove the joke from your argument and nothing remain, perhaps you never had much of an argument.
Roshan: Fair enough. And I am accepting that supporters could question their own side too. Loyalty doh have to mean cheering for everything.
Ramesh: Good. Because if the only time yuh discover accountability is when yuh party lose de government, what yuh have is disappointment, not principle.
Big Bottom Beverly: And opposition cyah mean wishing every government project to fail either. If ah road get fix, drive on it and say thanks. You eh have to pretend de pothole was part of we cultural heritage because your party leave it there.
Sunil: At the end of the day, I doh believe that questioning leaders make us a nation of scoffers. We should question dem. Is we money dey spending and our lives are affected by the decisions they make. But, the way I see it, we could demand answers without treating every person we disagree with like a fool. We could admit somebody make a good point without applying for membership in dey party. Next time we listening to a debate, best we listen past de insult and de clever comeback. Leh we ask weself what exactly is being proposed? How it go work? Who responsible? When we could judge de result? If dem questions remain unanswered, all de desk-thumping in Parliament cyah answer we.
Balkie: Ah glad we reaching agreement. Now, before we wrap up, I see when Alfie sneak ah taste of de beef lasagna. Tell meh, Alfie. How it went down?
Alfred: It could use a little more seasoning.
Balkie: Why you went back for more then? Anyway, let the others be the judge of that and not just the beef lasagna. I know fuh sure it eh go have no scoffing about any ah de food it have here.
Until next week.
