Have a whale of a time!

Everywhere one went on Thursday morning, people were vex, even the most mild mannered and the least nationalistic of Trinbagonians. “The Bajans already taking us to court over our sea, now their Attorney General telling them to come and fish in our territorial waters. They too boldfaced. “Like Barbados feel they are Big England and Prime Minister Owen Arthur think his name is Tony Blair,” many noted angrily on reading the morning’s newspapers. “Let them come,” some challenged. “Our Coast Guard will deal with them. Like de Fosto says, it will be War 2004.” Yet other citizens of the twin-island Republic demanded that their Prime Minister Patrick Manning — whose verbal restraint they deemed remarkable, given Prime Minister Owen Arthur’s provoking robber talk — hire the best team of lawyers “to stop the Bajans and dem from trying to t’ief our fish, oil and natural gas.” “Bring Ramesh,” a few clamoured.

Some viewed the Barbadian leader’s proposed arrival in TT on a Carnival Friday as a little too coincidental for their liking and responded with Trinbagonian cynicism: “If Arthur wanted to come and play Mas, why he just didn’t phone Max and ask him for a costume in Poison?” and “Like he trying to ruin our Carnival or what?” Several were asking why Arthur was planning to come to TT at all: “What we have to talk about with him? Put him on the no-fly list. He feel he smart. While we talking, the Bajans fishing and filing claim.” Quite a lot were wondering how they could boycott the Bajans back: “They feel they could lead us in the dance, but they forget we know how to wine.” Yes, indeed. The pulse of the citizens of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago was extremely rapid on Thursday, but it was not driven by the high-speed cadence of soca as was the norm in Carnival season. Rather, it was vibrating to the drums of nationalistic rage. Only Shadow’s “Whop Cocoyea” could keep pace because nationals of the twin-island State wanted the Tobagonian bard’s “obeah man” to sweep any straying Bajans back into their native waters.

The Bajan AG had falsely concluded that in their Carnival abandon, TT’s peoples would also discard their national pride. She had confused carefree with careless and the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago wanted to make her pay for her insulting error of telling Bajan fishermen to “Go fish!” in TT waters. Mottley didn’t realise that for the populace of the Republic, enough had become enough; that people wanted no more of the ill wind, which had blown two Bajan fishermen into Tobago’s waters and then had helped them sail home free. She didn’t know that Trinbagonians hadn’t enjoyed eating crow while the two fishermen headed back to Barbados with Tobago’s flying fish; that they were mad as hell that the Bajan Government had taken TT to court to fight for this nation’s waters and the riches that sprang from, or jumped out of, these.

The Bajan AG couldn’t see how galled the Trinis and Tobagonians were that other “neighbouring” islands and countries were plotting with Barbados to “box us in” thus, “lock us out” of “our gas and oil fields.” That people were already incensed by the Bajan PM’s threatened trade sanctions and how he was turning Caricom into Carigone. To Trinbagonians it suddenly seemed as if Owen S Arthur saw himself as George W Bush and TT as Iraq. The country was now in peril because others coveted its natural gas and oil thanks to the new Bush world order. And as America had gone to the UN with tales of weapons of mass destruction, Barbados was heading to an international tribunal with a story camouflaged in flying fish. People wondered whether in Little England, they didn’t get BBC TV. Then the Bajan PM would have seen that Iraq was now Bush’s greatest nightmare, that American soldiers were dying two by two. Bush wanted out faster than he had marched in. In Trinidad and in Tobago, the citizens concluded that the lesson of Iraq — much like a flying fish — had apparently gone over the Bajan PM’s head. And they were damn vex about it.

Yet, ironically at some level, they should have been toasting the Bajans because for the first time in Carnival season, the citizens of the Republic were not chanting, “Wave your rag!” but something that sounded more like “Raise we flag!” For once, every creed and race was jumping to the same tune, in one massive band. And it wasn’t yet Carnival Monday and Tuesday! Even the Opposition and Government seemed truly prepared to put aside partisan interests for the sake of national ones. So really, despite the headaches he and his AG had caused them by making their temples throb with anger, Trinidad and Tobago’s citizens had much for which to thank Arthur and Mottley. The two had provided the nation’s diverse peoples with a cause around which every Trini and Tobagonian could rally and at last, the words, “national unity” didn’t sound like a saccharine campaign slogan. It was incumbent thus, upon the inhabitants of the twin islands to repay this great debt they owed. (The Bajan PM and AG also had to be thanked for cancelling their Carnival Friday trip.) Everyone here knew that Barbados could forget being paid in the currencies of flying fish, oil or natural gas. A second airport was out of the question, not after the bacchanal of TT’s own Piarco project.

The only viable form of compensation was another of this country’s valuables: its Carnival spirit. It would cost this nation nothing to share this feeling with Arthur and Mottley and their citizens. The Republic really owed it to the Bajan people this Carnival weekend to fete like only it knew how, to take a ‘chip’ for them, while they ate Tobago’s flying fish. No one was underestimating the seriousness of the attempts by Trinidad and Tobago’s “Caribbean neighbours” to deprive this country of its maritime fortunes. Nevertheless, while the TT Government gathered its legal and military weapons for the impending war, the people could arm themselves with their rags and cocoyea and jump, sweep and wave. It would be the best response right now to Arthur, Mottley and their assault on TT’s oil, natural gas and flying fish. It would also be TT’s unique way of rewarding the leaders of Barbados for uniting us. Come on Trinbago! Forget the fishy insults, threats and tales and have a whale of a time this Carnival! Leave the Bajans for Ash Wednesday.

Suzanne Mills is the Editor of Newsday.