By Anthony Stewart, PhD
You may have heard of Adolph Hitler of Germany, Papa Doc and Baby Doc of Haiti, and Idi Amin of Uganda in addition to the jailers of the Concentration Camps in Communist Countries, Alcatraz prison and Grenada jail. However, there is none who claims to be more fearless, ruthless, and vindictive than the Jailor of Gorse.
It is not an easy task to imprison and enslave 110,000 people. Some unknowingly heaping praises upon him for their ration of poor relief they receive periodically. From the priest to the parishioner, the rich to the penniless, the parliamentarian to the Parliament Girls, the educated to the ignorant, the landlord to the peasant, the doctor to the patient, the trade union leader to the worker, the judge to the prisoner, no one escapes the reach of the Jailer of Gorse.
Such a hardened heart may have been cultivated since he was a youngster when he refused to quench the thirst of his companions with a cool and refreshing drink of coconut water, choosing rather to burst and spill several coconuts from on high.
His callous traits were apparently enhanced by his fascination with Communism, and studies of Karl Marx, and Joseph Lenin. He studied politics and trade unionism for one year in Uganda while Idi Amin ruled that country with an iron fist.
The knowledge of trade unionism gained was perhaps used to commandeer trade unions to support his misguided Road Block Revolution. Up to this day, hardly any collective agreement is signed and updated with the trade unions. Since their capitulation, he apparently has no respect for them, promising in one instance a 30% salary increase but delivering a salary freeze. In another instance, he signed election leave agreement and appears not to want to honour it even after it was endorsed by the court of law. That agreement apparently was signed with evil intentions as there is a claim that it was only “aspirational”. It appears that he has respect neither for God nor man.
Bishop Jason had cause to write to decry the injustice meted out to teachers and Bigger Biggs. Court judgements secured by Marcus De Freitas and Randolph Toussaint are apparently yet to be honoured together with assessed cost for the Teachers cases. The historic wrongs done to Bigger Biggs are yet to be corrected. Some of the lands acquired to build the Argyle International Airport are apparently not paid for yet. Lands are apparently being acquired from the Murrays without due process of law. Canada, England, the United States, and South Africa are dealing with racial discrimination. St. Vincent and the Grenadines has to deal with political discrimination.
How did we get here? That is the question that many of us are asking. We know that we are either enslaved or imprisoned. We all know the conditions of our incarceration. One of the first questions that we ask our fellow prisoners is: “What did you do?” There is no doubt that all of us are innocent but spite is keeping us here. We feel trapped in a hopeless situation.
Students study in programmes that are inadequate in terms of preparing them for further study or for the job market. Many secondary school graduates do not pass Maths, thus limiting their opportunities for progress. Most currently have no skill nor are they being prepared to learn one. Workers are on edge fearing that they may upset the Jailer in some way causing low productivity. Many have their fingers on their lips desiring neither to be seen nor heard.
Those who should constitute the think-tank, the experts and intelligentsia are fearful of making their unbiased contribution in the media thus preventing our country from being lifted higher. Even in prison, Joseph was able to dream and lift his country higher with his contribution. The Jailer of Gorse, however, has the whole country bankrupt, in a stupor, stagnated, and bereft of fresh ideas, not even from within his own party. We wonder when our sentence of 20 years to life without parole will end. Who will emancipate us from this mental slavery? An escape from this jail is warranted.
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Thank you for speaking for me.
Oh my. This is so very beautifully written and is so true. I hope people who were once blind are at least seeing the truth sbout the jailor. There are so many evidences of the vindictiveness, ruthlessness and pure dictatorial character of him. Wake up and smell the coffee Vincentians.
Everyone has an opinion (perspective). Instead of something written like this it would be more constructive just to focus on certain policy that is not agreed upon. I would not only mention the negative but if you think hard enough you may also find some positive.
The main problem:
I do not like our very terrible system as it relates to anything economic. It guarantees we will remain backwards. The present government at least kept the economy mostly open, although for the sake of the vaccine they are making big mistakes. The opposition has a better macro economic philosophy but wanted to close the borders and lock everyone up for three months, (effectively destroying the already poor economy), but probably also applying a draconian approach to vaccination. There are good things about the present government as well, such as very effective foreign relations.
Frightening is that neither party seems to care about the people’s Freedom of choice, and will work as a team to attempt forcing experimental vaccines onto the people that want to wait or avoid it all together.
A Brilliantly written piece which perfectly describes the current situation in SVG.
I await the conclusion of that very toxic environment would be surprised if the Jailer admits office with impunity.
After all, the Most High, through a foreign Prophet says that he’s corrupt!!
The good thing is that all those former jailers are no more, this too shall pass.
What you forgot to mention was that thousands of Vincentians have had to run away abroad to avoid political discrimination and perhaps even assassination.
People sitting in the dark at night on walls in unlit streets.
The evil is much further reaching than you have portrayed it. With whole laws to self preserve being passed with cheers from the ignorant followers who are blinded by being kept in the dark for too long.
Failure by the police to investigate and prosecute the jailer or the courts to try him, or the DPP to allow it all to happen.
the Jailer of Gorse rings like the Beast of Belson?