World War II was in full swing and the Yanks were worried that German U-boats (submarines) would disrupt shipping through the Caribbean Sea – like bauxite from our mines to make aluminium for their fighter planes. So they swapped some of their military hardware, including warships, for bases in places like Trinidad and right here in BG. “British Guiana” for the young’uns! However, our American “soldier boys” were holed up all the way at what is now CJIA after they carved out “Atkinson Field” from virgin jungle.
On the other hand, over in Trinidad, the Yanks were a hop, skip and jump away from Port of Spain at Chaguaramas Bay. And boy did those sailor boys have a good time with rum, women and song!! In fact, they enjoyed the women so much that local calypsonians composed bitter denunciations of their cornering of that market!! The most popular of them all was “Rum and Coca Cola” by Lord Invader, which was picked up by the Andrew Sisters and went to #1 on their charts.
The lyrics went like this, “And when de Yankeys first went to Trinidad/ Some ah de young girls Were more than glad,/ Deh said that de Yankeys treat dem Nice/ And deh give dem the better Price./ Deh buy rum and coca-cola, went Down Point Cumana,/ Both mothers and daughters,/ Workin Fuh deh yankey dollar.” Well, anyhow, your Eyewitness remembered this Caribbean Classic after a shipment of rum from Guyana was busted in the Netherlands with 1100lbs of coke!
Rum and coke!! There you have it!! It would seem someone has updated the old calypso with its modern equivalent! Your Eyewitness understands that the “White Lady” is now the recreational party item rather than the Coca-Cola – which is quite passé now. Even though the original Coca-Cola actually had cocaine as one of its ingredients!! But, seriously, folks…is there a physical export that some wise guy hasn’t stuffed with cocaine to smuggle it up north??
And that’s why the Government’s in such a dilemma. It wants to diversity the economy…but as it does, they’re just be creating new items to stuff with cocaine!! And this brings your Eyewitness to the real point he wishes to make. Excluding oil of course, has CANU been checking new exports? Oil gets off ‘cause you do know it’s not ACTUALLY shipped in barrels, don’t you? And that rum shipment? Remember there was an intermediate stop!!
The problem with this drug smuggling business is there’s an insatiable market up north. And with the free-market system running the world, once there’s a market, there will be suppliers!!
Workin Fuh deh yankey dollar!!
…Castro in the hemisphere
How the world turns!! US Secretary of State Blinken just congratulated leftist Honduran politician Xiomara Castro as the President-elect of the Central American country!! Only 12 years ago, when her husband, President Zelaya – with her as a prominent minister – was ousted in a coup, the US supported the change in government and refused to label it as such. Castro and Zelaya had been too chummy with Chávez and they had to go!! Sounds familiar with the PPP back in 2011, doesn’t it?
The right-wing government in Honduras, however, descended into drug dealing, human rights abuses and the economy descended into chaos. Unemployment ballooned and refugees joined the trekkers to the US-Mexican border. The Americans need some stability in their soft underbelly and Castro has proven to be no doctrinaire communist – like her namesake in Cuba.
To everyone’s surprise, the right-wing candidate conceded – unlike here in Guyana – and Castro has signalled that she’ll tackle the major problems.
Why can’t the PNC get with the programme?
… COVID-19 reloaded
By now we should know that the WHO is cautious to a fault. But on this Omicron variant it has been forced to react much more forcefully than usual.
It’s clear the extant vaccines can’t stop it!
