A certain newspaper has upped and published the Opposition Leader’s package of ‘goodies’ and if the truth be told and if the newspaper is telling the truth retired Brigadier Granger didn’t get a bad post-Christmas present at all. Now let’s not start saying that if he were President he would get more. Opposition Leader is what he is and if the package may not entirely make up for the fact that he wouldn’t be pounding the boards at State House, it’s more than what a very recently unemployed party leader might have expected.
Two maids? A gardener? Now let’s get serious! Whatever would the Brigadier do with two maids? As far as we all know the Brigadier is probably making do nicely with one maid since it is not as though the man has a house full of children or that he is known to throw lavish parties every weekend. Two maids is perhaps doing it a bit. It leaves you to wonder how many maids the President is entitled to. If you want to be generous Mr. Opposition Leader – and remember the electorate was generous to you – perhaps you might wish to consider allocating one of your two maids to your Deputy. It’s really the rules that are at fault though. Shouldn’t we be doing a head count of an official’s family before we decide on the number of maids he or she gets?
Now let’s talk about the gardener! Why a gardener? It’s not as if Mr. Granger has been known to be a man of the soil – so to speak. It’s not as if he is an adherent of Mr. Jagdeo’s Food Security Plan. OK……..he may have put down a few beds of tomato or calaloo in his back yard but what on earth is wrong with him watering his own plants or tending his own flower garden? Couldn’t we just buy the man a hose, a fork and a few bags of fertilizer and let him run with that. Perhaps the gardener will end up feeding the dogs. The Brigadier does have a few rather menacing looking dogs running around his front yard.
There’s more………..A security detail, a personal security man, a chauffeur, a Secretary and a Research Assistant. But mih lawd God (as the Jamaicans would say) Where on earth is all this money to be found to outfit our Opposition Leader. Thank God we’re told he has to buy his own food though he can always pick up the groceries out of his Vacation Allowance……….yes, he gets that too. And after the Brigadier stops being Leader of the Republic’s Opposition he too gets a pension. Eat your heart out Mr. Jagdeo.
Now according to the newspaper report the Opposition Leader said that he is yet to open his stocking to take a look at all those things inside it. Now we’re not exactly calling you a fibber Brigadier but surely you would have taken at least one little peek. Who wouldn’t?
