THE EDITOR, Sir:
IN THE interest of time (in writing) and space (in your columns), I am using this to comment on two Gleaner 'commentaries', that have something in common and were published on Monday, 22nd and Tuesday, 23rd inst. One was hilarious and the other was rather sombre.
On Monday, Las May caricatured: "Sammy Dead Oh! Den, a what Sammy do mek dem kill him?" Spontaneously, I was tickled somewhat childishly. I laughed almost uncontrollably.
In my boyhood days of some seven decades ago in St. Elizabeth, we sang those very words as a popular jingle (folk song); but there was no meaning, no message nor 'moral' to the song. But, bravo! for the first time, "Sammy Dead, Oh!" made sense.
Now, Mr. Editor, because I perceive Las May as a "young" man, I am interested in knowing how he was able to so aptly appropriate the distant past. This is commendably peculiar.
The other commentary is the article titled "Monkey Justice" by D.K. Duncan. Dr. Duncan succinctly described some atrocities meted out to poor people at various times (over the last few years) and "there was no accountability, no acceptance of responsibility and no sanctions," he opined!
Concerning the death of 27 people who died in West Kingston over a period of four days (July 7-10, 2002) during a major operation of the Security Forces, Dr. Duncan pointed out that the civilian victims remain nameless by a Commission of Enquiry. "At least, Sammy-the-Monkey - had a name and one person was found accountable and immediate sanctions applied," Dr. Duncan stated.
No wonder, Mr. Editor, Dr. Duncan proclaimed some time in 1997, that he was never a diehard PNP! To very many comrades and other party sympathisers, the Tivoli Gardens population is composed of (non-human) animals and Dr. Duncan now knows, that according them constitutional rights is mere semantics!
Special congrats to Las May and Dr. Duncan are in order.
I am, etc.,
W.R.SCHLOSS
8 Lloyd Close
Kingston 8
