Battle for Chicken Rights - Part I

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Rawlston Pompey

Monday, 21 January 2013 02:30

By Rawlston Pompey

In every strata of society and sphere of human endeavour, ‘FIGHTS’ between people were inevitable as they were among the animals.

Thus, among humans, many fights had been occasioned, resulting in “...physical violence; ...verbal abuse; and ...psychological warfare.” Common fights among humans, included “...congregants and pastors; ...family feuds; ...spouses conflicts; ...jealous love affairs; ...between parents, teachers and students; ...Teachers and Finance Ministers over Salaries; and ...Pensioners and Social Security over late payment of Retirement Benefits.” Invariably, these fights were attended by “...intense, cruel, aggressive protests and violent as to cause physical harm, mental anguish and excruciating pains to victims.” While “...motive” may not be readily discernible, many had suggested intent of “...greed for profitability, jealousy and bigotry. Others were due to revengeful attacks; or ...dissent, antagonistic and/or rebellious behaviour.” These were frequently seen as the underlying causes.

OFFICIAL AND ANIMAL FIGHTS
There were even fights between “...Constituents and elected representatives over ineffective parliamentary and/or Executive representations; ...Senior Ministry Officials and Policy-makers over “...Habitable Health Ministry; ...African Snails; ...Country Pond Waters; ...Long Bay Beach; ...Budgetary Allocations and/or Incentivized Benefits.” Entertainingly, some fights had been lawfully sanctioned and performed professionally for entertainment (boxing/Wrestling).  Matadors fought with bulls, while fights were cruelly staged between animals and birds, primarily “...Dogs and Cocks.” Dogs were infuriated by humans into a “...vicious frenzy” that had frequently ended bloodily. These fights were intensely ferocious, until a victor had emerged and the other succumbed to death or left seriously and helplessly wounded.

OTHER FIGHTS
Other fights had resulted from...egregious acts to humans for “...unnecessary, frivolous, vexatious and justifiable and unjustified reasons.” Thus, there were “...fights in both Houses of Parliament; ...between Prime Ministers and Electoral Commissioners for suspected irregularities; ...APC and APUA over power generation and remittances; ...Police and Magistrates over Case Dismissals Employers and Employees; ...Lone Wolf Protesters against the People’s Republic of China (PRC); ...Percival Simon and Vere Bird III and ZDK over considered group’s policies; ...Doctors and Patients; ...Clients and Lawyers; ...Landlords and Tenants;...Prisoners and Prison Officers.” There were also fights over electoral candidacy; over organizational or parliamentary leadership.” Still there were many other fights over “...Foods and Drinks; ...Business Ventures; ...Revealed Secrets; ...Money and Blackberry fights; ...land or vehicle ownership and between neighbors over barking Dogs.” The list is in-exhaustive. However, most intriguingly, were “...Battles over Chickens and Farms.” These fights, incidentally, were seen, not necessarily involving cravings for “...Chicken feet, backs, necks, gizzards or even ...feathers,” and not for “...breasts, legs, quarters or thighs, drumstick or wings.”

FEAR OF FARMERS BETRAYAL
Though he had “...always encouraged the nation to grow its own food to be self-sufficient,” seemingly with adroitness, avoiding suggestions of “...farmers betrayal” or fear of contracting “...Chicken Flu” and/or risking farmers’ wrath, Agriculture Minister Honourable Hilson ‘Brother B’ Baptiste appeared to have steered clear of all “...Chicken Controversy and Fights unconnected to his Ministry.” Seemingly, he might just be waiting to see which “...Chickens will grow, crow or cackle” to prevail to end up in bread obtainable from “...YA SOSO Bakery or in Jason Brodie’s oven; or ... Roadside Vendors and Ginger’s Fast Foods Barbecue Grills,” or in ...freezers at “...Sammy’s; ...Merchant’s ...Christos’; ...Bargain Center and 1st Choice Supermarkets; or in soups at restaurants at the “...City View, Joe Mike’s or the Verandah Hotels.”

VEIL OF SECRECY
The “...Battle of all Battles” for Chickens had begun. For economic and ventilation reasons, humans have been able to remove “...Chicken Fights” from backyard privacy or especially clandestine arenas to the “...Conference rooms of governance” for policy-decisions and/or to the Legislative Chambers for “...Ministerial Explanations and Clarifications,” and finally to the electronic and print media.” When Senator Honourable Paul ‘Chet’ Greene revealed information pertinent to a “...Chicken Farm Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU),” he appeared to have forced Chairman of the Antigua and Barbuda Investment Authority (ABIA) Dr. Mc Chesney Emmanuel into removing what may have been a “...veil of secrecy,” surrounding the proposed project, thereby bringing its existence to the public domain through a radio programme.

INTERESTING DEVELOPMENT
Interestingly, the developments saw Senator Greene seeking “...Confirmation” on the existence of a “...Chicken MOU” and Clarifications of its contents. He sought, partially successful, in “...picking the brain” of Dr. Mc Chesney Emmanuel. It may have been preposterous in thinking that in accessing the Doctor’s brain, it necessitated transfusion of “...Chicken blood” to his heart or removal of feathers from his head and lips. The Senator merely attempted to ascertain whether or not “...Local Chicken Farmers” were at risk of losing the “...status quo” of their indigenous Chicken Farm operations to “...Foreign Interest.” Senator Greene appeared to have been aware that “...Local Entrepreneur Milton White” had encounter difficulties from “...Foreign Land Grabbers, while embarking upon a “...Family Amusement Park and Entertainment Center at Paynters, “...RIGHTFULLY” approved and supported by the nation’s Executive branch of governance.



LAND SPECULATORS
Senator Greene may have also been acutely aware of “...intellectual cunningness and deceptive behavior of some officials and had sought single-handedly to “...protect the innocent from the possibility of such exploits.” Not infrequently had unscrupulous investors with “...checkered business background” had lured policy-makers down a path that had ended in litigation or through Parliament for Land Re-possession; He knew of the Dato Tan Kay Hocs and Robert Allen Stanfords “...Land Fiasco.” However, unlike Dato Tan, the latter had invested heavily, albeit, through skullduggerous activities; ...he had created wealth for the nation as much as for himself. He provided “...employment opportunities for nationals; ...paid taxes that had helped in stimulating the economy; ...contributed substantially to civic, non-profit non-governmental organizations (NGO and families. For forty overs of cricket, he had made otherwise lowly paid Cricketers, into instant millionaires. But then the United States Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) nabbed him for “...fraudulent activities”[June 19, 2009] and was subsequently slapped with a 110 year jail sentence by Judge David Hitner [June 16, 2012]. Consequently, Senator Greene had sought to “...allay public fears and eliminate threats, “...real or imaginary,” that may have been posed to Local Chicken Farmers.”

HUMAN NATURE
When Sir MacLean Emmanuel “...King Short Shirt,” renowned social commentator, melodiously sang “...No animal kills for spite,” he also knew that for animals to survive, they must “...instinctively” prey on others either for “...food or for protection of their young.” Contrastingly, humans do not operate on instinct. Yet by their impulsive behaviors, they kill as much as “...they probe and spout insults and/or pour scorn on individuals seen as inferior in intellect.” Such had been the nature of humans. In recent times, when fights were not with “...friends at Tunnel or Kennedy’s Bar; ...Papa Bird’s Bust, or involving ...tourists and Police,” they were also about “...Senators and Finance Ministers over “...Budget Allocations and questionable governmental employment practices.” Today, many battles had erupted over Chickens.”

PUBLIC AWARENESS
Invariably, human eccentricity, arrogance and insensitivity” had provoked reactionary impulses and behavioral traits in others. Frequently, humans had found it necessary to respond in kind. Such has been the nature, impulses in humans. Thus, if common sense were to prevail among humans, then “...reason, conscience and intellect,” dictates that they “...behave civilly; ...act responsibly; ...show humility and respect for human dignity and worth, and as far as the spirit allows, be infectiously and politely obliging.” These were to be reflected, not only in “...expressions of sentimentality, but also in meaningful humanitarian deeds. Not infrequently when “...issues affecting public or national interests” had surfaced in the public domain, citizen’s disquiet and suspicions were often provoked by lack of “...awareness, sensitization and/or education and strained relations with public officials.”

MISCHARACTERIZATION
When Radio Observer host Cleveroy Thomas, of the programme “...Observer AM” [Jan. 16, 2013], aired parliamentary clippings of revelations made in the Senate Chamber by Senator Honourable Paul ‘Chet’ Greene, respecting the establishment of a “...Poultry Farm” by “...Foreign Entities,” the host then  invited listeners to participate in “...an on-air impromptu debate.” The issue, taking on national attention, seemed to have driven many listeners into a “...radio calling frenzy.” It stirred the imagination and provoked interest and spurred debates among citizens and Chicken farmers, who saw the project as having potential for “...affecting indigenous farmers” and their livelihood.”  As expected, the issue that had become intensely topical, attracting mixed reactions, pronounced by passionate discussions and worthwhile suggestions.

RYAN’S PATRIOTISM
The “...MOU” that appeared to have aroused “...reasonable suspicions,” had triggered “...an On-air Cock Fight” between Senator Paul ‘Chet’ Greene and Dr. Mc Chesney Emmanuel, Chairman of Antigua and Barbuda Investment Authority (ABIA) and referred to by the programme’s host. Touting it as having been “...cloaked in official secrecy,” the Senator declared it to have failed the litmus test of “...Public Transparency.” Making contributions to the “On-air discussions,” reputable businessman George Ryan, he had RESPECTFULLY “...suggested soluble approaches” to the contentious Poultry project. As a true patriot, he had ...invested substantially, putting his money where his mouth lies; ...provided employment opportunities for many nationals; performed his civic duties in nation’s economic system as “...Investor/Employer/Hotelier/Hardware operator/Car dealer and Contractor par excellence.”

RYAN’S SUGGESTIONS
 Intending no offence or to be engaged in a “...Chicken Fight,” he advocated and suggested in good faith “...reasonable compensation to be remitted to current indigenous operators; ...offering shares to displaced operators; ...providing continued employment to employees and mechanisms for effective disease control. Said the Mighty Sparrow to some Trinidadian Moppers, “...Half the trouble in the world today, comes from people who don’t know what to say; ...they used words not knowing that they had used them wrongly.” Seemingly ignoring Sparrow’s caution, an attacking ABIA Chairman, Dr. Mc Chesney Emmanuel, “...injudiciously showed utter contempt for the suggestions.” Seemingly perturbed over the revelations of the existence of an ‘MOU,’ Dr. Emmanuel disparagingly described Ryan’s suggestions as “...NONSENSE.” Conversely, that which was highlighted from the ‘MOU’ by Senator Greene, using his intellect prudently, he mildly, respectfully described as “...Mischaracterization of Facts.”

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CONDESCEDING AND OBNOXIOUS
Conscious of his arrogance, rebuffing Dr. Emmanuel for the apparent “...crude and disrespectful behavior,” Senator Greene gently reproached him for “...displaying insensitivity and utter contempt for the suggestions.” In scholarly and careful articulation, Senator Greene cautioned “...I will not allow you Dr. Emmanuel, to speak to the people, nor to myself ...condescendingly, rudely and obnoxiously.” Seemingly cognizance of “...an intellectual indiscretion,” wittingly and with humility, he avoided an engagement with the Senator in a “...behavioral battle.” Such display of uncontrolled egoism or emotionalism, were viewed by many responsible citizens as suggestive of “...Rum-Shop Diplomacy.” It may have been “...offensive to citizen’s sensibilities; ...vexatious to the spirit; ...insulting to intelligence and in modern civilization, “...reprehensible and against acceptable standards of courtesy by a public servant.” Further, such “...unprovoked behavior of incivility” may have been seen as inconsistent with that which the late FERGIE DERRICK had persistently promoted on Radio Observer that, “...All ideas contend.” Unfortunately, Dr. Emmanuel appeared to have shown no approval of the “...basic tenet of democratic principles that allow for “...meaningful, constructive, responsible and free expressions.”

WHILE THEY FIGHT
The case of the proposed “...Poultry Farm Project” speaks to such disquiet and “...Chicken Fights.” Invariably, public officials were seemed to have been found wanting of “...Explanatory Transparency.”  Where local farmers were required to use their “...negligible capital and entrepreneurial and intensified labour skills, without governmental subsidies and absorption of recurring financial losses,” many had enjoyed limited success. Suspectedly, Policy-makers, like “...high-end salary earners” were known for “...retarding or killing off local Commerce/Entrepreneurship.” Ironically, while the nation currently experiences restrictions to the “...United States Financial Markets,” intellectuals were busy promoting foreign interests under the umbrella of foreign investment in opening up its “...Agricultural Market for offshore US Chicken Poultry Farm operators.

NOBLE INTENTIONS
There was no doubt of the noble intentions of the Honourable Dr. Mc Chesney Emmanuel and Senator Paul ‘Chet’ Greene. Both had a common desire in seeing the nation and people enjoying some measure of “...economic growth and prosperity.” Expediently recalled from the United States to Chair the Antigua and Barbuda Investment Authority (ABIA), Dr. Emmanuel with prudent acknowledgment, confirmed the existence of an ‘MOU.’ However, he was quick in pointing out that the ‘MOU’ was not binding.” Rightly so, it may not have been if it was unsigned. However, for an academic understanding, Wikipedia defines it as (1) “...A document that expresses mutual accord on an issue between two or more parties; (2) ...They are generally recognized as binding, even if no legal claim could be based on the rights and obligations laid down in them.” Nonetheless, it may be seen from the a controversial ‘MOU- “...Ship Riders Agreement” between the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)/ Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the United States [1996], had virtually surrendered their “...Sovereignty; ...territorial integrity and airspace to unfettered access by US War and Surveillance planes and Ships in intercepting, capturing and seizing foreign commercial planes and ships suspected of certain illegal activities that may impact its “...economic and/or security interests.” The countries comprising “...these regional organizations had all signed the MOU.”

VOLUNTEERISM
Seemingly, it may have been one or more or all of these requirements, partial revelations, had triggered the Project’s development into a “...Chicken Fight” between a “...Doctor of Foreign Interests” and a “...Rooster from YA SOSO, “...protector and voluntary representative of “...Local Entrepreneurial Chicken Interests.” Those with a penchant for “...Bacon, Egg and Bread,” may find little difficulty in discerning the “...Rooster’s act of Volunteerism.” The Chairman of “...ABIA,” appearing” somewhat cagey, seemed to have been au fait with an ‘MOU,’ formal or informal, respecting the proposed “...Poultry Project.” Wikipedia Dictionary has provided that “...Legally Operative for an ‘MOU.’ Therefore, the following had to be at work (1) ...It shall identify the Contracting Parties; (2) ...It shall spell out the subject matter of the agreements and its objective; (3) ...It shall summarize the essential terms of the agreement; and (4) ...It shall be signed by the Contracting Parties.”

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WIKI-LEAKS INFORMATION
Senator Greene, in his maiden parliamentary presentations in the Senate, may have reminisced when he had been disparagingly told “...Cockroach had no business in fowl house.” He may have been mindful that disclosure of a “...Chicken MOU” may have triggered unsavory remarks. Though the previous derogatory comment by identifiable intellectuals may have been seen as characteristics of “...gutter snipe mentality,” he demonstrated to his Senatorial colleagues that “...he was neither a cockroach, nor was among cockroaches in such a house.” The revelations appeared to have flabbergasted Leader of Government Business Senator Dr. Errol Cort. Though he appeared to have been caught in painful self-consciousness, showing no discomfiture, with professionalism, decorum and courtesy, evidenced by mutual respect, he sought clarifications on particularities of “...authenticity; ...signatories and whether or not the seemingly “...informal documented discussions were work in progress.” Quick-wittedly and courteously Senator Greene, retorted “...If the MOU was not signed, I cautioned, and if it is, I have serious concerns.” It was obvious that the Senator may have accessed the ‘MOU- whether signed or unsigned, “...from credible Wiki-leaks sources within the circle of officialdom.” He had maintained composure, acquitted himself exceedingly well as he carefully sought to sensitize the Senate on the project’s proposals.

Continued tomorrow.   

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