Satiricus now knew his “gem like” native land was finally going to take off. It was not going to be an “unpolished” gem no more. It had certainly been long in coming. “But better late than never,” he sighed to his friend Cappo. The Back Street Bar was slowly filling up with regulars who each had to shake the water from their clothes like dogs trying to get dry. The rain was really coming down.
“Suh wha mek yuh seh suh?” Cappo demanded. “All dem t’ing de guvment do fuh Jubilee an’ da na impress you. Wha’ happen now?”
“Is not one thing, Cappo,” said Satiricus. “It’s several things. Look at the Parking Meters we are going to get. That is progress.”
“Me a look at de Parking Meta Sato,” replied Cappo ruefully. “An’ all me see ah t’iefing!”
“But you see Cappo, the problem with you and most Guyanese is you never study history,” said Satiricus as they touched their beer bottles before taking a swig. “Did you ever hear about the Robber Barons of America?”
“Na,” said Cappo. “Dem a who?”
“My friend, after America was 50 years old it was a set of rascals and robbers who set the foundation for what you see today.” pointed out Satiricus . “Fellas like Rockefeller and Vanderbilt.”
“Wha’ dem do?” queried Cappo”
“Rockefeller thief to create the largest oil company in the world, and Vanderbilt thief to build the railroads,” said Satiricus. “But they left America more developed. That is what our Parking Meter thieves will do.”
“Now me anda-staa,” said Cappo. “Dem should gi’e de Mayah wan medal fuh bringin’ de mos’ advance parking meter in de worl’!”
“They should,” said Satiricus with feeling. “But another thing clinched my certainty that no one can stop our development.”
“Wha’ da?” asked Cappo, signalling for another beer—Satiricus was buying.
“The news that twenty of our policemen were sent to China for training,” said Satiricus. “In crowd control and disturbances.”
“Wha’ suh big ’bout da?” Cappo asked in surprise.
“Is de same thing I said before,” said Satiricus exasperatedly. “Y’all don’t know history!”
“Wha histry dis time,” enquired Cappo.
“My friend, just before China became the big economic power it is today,” said Satiricus, “There were demonstrations in 1989 to prevent it from happening. The government had to use specially trained police to break it up.”
“Really?”‘said Cappo. “Where was that?”
“Tiananmen Square,” replied Satiricus. “Just let those who want to stop our progress in Stabroek Square, try now!”
“Le’ abee drink to dat, Sato, ole Budday!” said Cappo.
