Blah Bloh Blog

The ongoing local taylaylay continues over allegations that Opposition MP Kenrick Fullerton allegedly beat up his wife following an incident where his wife allegedly smashed his alleged girlfrind’s windscreen. For his part MP Fullerton denies the alleged wife beating attack and apparently hinted that it might have actually been he that was attacked by his wife.

So now everyone’s got an opinion about politicians and their domestic issues. Needless to say, I won’t hesitate to weigh in. Frankly, I could care less what public officials do in the privacy (or non-privacy as the cae may be) of their bedrooms and the sheer hypocrisy of some of the other MPs, politicians and government officials towards this incident makes me laugh. There is not ONE among them who does not have an “outside” woman. Allegedly. Jeez. The way some of them carry on you would think they were 60-year old virgins or something. Come on - even the female ministers/MPs (allegedly) have their own little boy-toys, married-man boyfriends and such like. If it is one thing the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal highlighted, it was that sex and its related “morality issues” are largely irrelevant when it comes to the core issues of governance.

Far more interesting to me is the question of public officials’ business and financial dealings, for we all know that from hence springs the seeds of corruption and wrong-doing. And speaking of Mr Fullerton, it seems that he was also embroiled in some sort of mini-scandal pertaining to his insurance agency’s finances. Now THAT is something that I care about because how he handles his own business affairs reflects how he will handle the country’s own.

In any case I am pleased to see that Fullerton is stepping down from the Opposition NDC’s executive body and the party leadership has indicated that they will be seeking a new representative to contest his seat in the next election. Although it has come with some prodding, it is great to see the integrity of the party being put before one member’s individual pursuits.

I recently promised some photos of one of the major roads presently under reconstruction, assumedly to be finished in time for CWC 2007. This road is the Lowthers Lane thru to Tempe main road, and apart from driving through the city itself (which I hear will not be allowed anyway), this road is the only way to get to the stadium from the south of the island.

The bottom of Lowthers Lane, close to the Botanical Gardens (where the ministerial offices are).

Section between Knights Auto and Blue Danube.

Corner by Blue Danube.

Section heading up to the Government Gate round-about.

The Government Gate round-about.

Talk about mud!

I came across a relatively old but somewhat embarrassing article from the Telegraph regarding Grenada and the Cricket World Cup 2007.

The article is generally scathing, in that “sharp and witty” way that the British seem to enjoy, but realistically it is probably pretty accurate. Some choice snippets:

.. but there are only 2,000 hotel beds on the island and if the planned home-stay programme works out there will be a further 2,000 beds in locals’ houses and apartments.

Then, according to Brenda Hood, the tourism minister, “there will be at least two cruise ships berthed in the harbour during the cricket,” providing up to 2,500 more beds. So, I make that a shortfall of some 8,500 beds if they’re expecting to fill the new stadium.

the generally shambolic nature of the islands

[Prime Minister Mitchell] says that one of the keys to a successful World Cup for Grenada will be the development of tourism in remote rural areas, like the one we are in.

“Twenty-five years ago you would not have seen electricity or fresh water or roads or telephone services out here. This will be one of the practice grounds next April and it will bring more foreign visitors. And that is just what this area needs.”

Huh? He mad or wha’?!

When I ask Brenda Hood why the Chinese are funding the £13.5 million stadium as well as building it, she shoots me a look that suggests I am a simpleton. “Officially, the trade-off is political support at the UN, but we see it as a partnership… we have Grenadians in China and we’re expecting Chinese tourists over here in the near future,” she says without a smile. The fact that those mortal enemies of the Chinese, the Taiwanese, have already financed and built an 8,000-seat stadium in St Kitts may also have something to do with it.

The drive back to St George from Grenville at the end of the cricket match is shambolic. We inch past oncoming traffic and gridlocks, along narrow, crumbling, ill-maintained roads

But the Caribbean is all about travelling at different speeds and the World Cup will be no different. British cricket-lovers will have to chill out, be prepared for all sorts of inefficiencies, calamities and discomforts… and if they relax a bit they may find that this will be the best Cricket World Cup ever. If they don’t, they are going to be driven mad.

Deep sigh….

I came across this post today, discussing the possible reasons for the “differences” between African-Americans and West Indian immgrants in the U.S. Although the article is a trifle full of generalisations, I found it interesting reading. See what you think.

To a West Indian, black is a literal description: you are black if your skin is black.

The implication of West Indian success is that racism does not really exist at all–at least, not in the form that we have assumed it does. The implication is that the key factor in understanding racial prejudice is not the behavior and attitudes of whites but the behavior and attitudes of blacks–not white discrimination but black culture. It implies that when the conservatives in Congress say the responsibility for ending urban poverty lies not with collective action but with the poor themselves they are right

This idea of the West Indian as a kind of superior black is not a new one. When the first wave of Caribbean immigrants came to New York and Boston, in the early nineteen-hundreds, other blacks dubbed them Jewmaicans, in derisive reference to the emphasis they placed on hard work and education.

she lived in a country that had blacks and browns in every position of authority, so her personal experience gave the lie to what she read in the encyclopedia. This, I think, is what Noel means when he says that he cannot quite appreciate what it is that weighs black Americans down, because he encountered the debilitating effects of racism late, when he was much stronger. He came of age in a country where he belonged to the majority.

The success of West Indians is not proof that discrimination against American blacks does not exist. Rather, it is the means by which discrimination against American blacks is given one last, vicious twist: I am not so shallow as to despise you for the color of your skin, because I have found people your color that I like. Now I can despise you for who you are.

There is also no small measure of guilt here, for West Indians cannot escape the fact that their success has come, to some extent, at the expense of American blacks, and that as they have noisily differentiated themselves from African-Americans–promoting the stereotype of themselves as the good blacks–they have made it easier for whites to join in. It does not help matters that the same kinds of distinctions between good and bad blacks which govern the immigrant experience here have always lurked just below the surface of life in the West Indies as well. It was the infusion of white blood that gave the colored class its status in the Caribbean, and the members of this class have never forgotten that, nor have they failed, in a thousand subtle ways, to distance themselves from those around them who experienced a darker and less privileged past.

In the new racism, as in the old, somebody always has to be the nigger.

You know, this is why I choose to live in the Caribbean. Coming to terms with your personal and collective identity is difficult enough without having to take into consideration an outsiders’ set of rules.

The SpiceIslander Talkshop is an online forum board frequented by Grenadians here and abroad. All manner of local news, gossip and tay-lay-lay is debated in a fairly haphazard and sometimes clique-ish fashion - it’s obvious that many of the “regulars” know each other. Personally while I sometimes enjoy checking out the Talkshop reactions to Grenadian current affairs, I’d be the first to say the posts can become pretty petty, tedious and hard to read, and the ability to spell (even in dialect) appears to be non-existent.

Anywhoo, I came across this post and the comments are absolutely HILARIOUS! In fact the photos at the head of the post, of Prime Minister Mitchell with young school children, simply beg to be captioned!

My favourite comments:

By just looking at their beautiful faces the kids seem to know more about genuine independence than our beloved Prime Minister.

Wha he go teach them how to TIEF Grenadian money?

and ah say to me self…but dat man also have a devious kinda smile. well lets say..a strange kinda smile check it out…
like he saying …”is not only me hand ah have up me sleeve”…

Next thing you go hear he wearing his underpants and ah Wifebeater for the Port Louis opening.

What I was trying to say is that soon Grenada may be carved up. Half belonging to China, the other half belonging to Taiwan. I wonder who will get the half with Grand Anse?

Browse around and enjoy!
_____

Of course, true to usual Talkshop form, some of the posters go far off the topic and start yabbering on about Prince and Jimi Hendrix at the Superbowl. God! Like we Grenadians have permanent ADD or something.