Imagine yuh gat a stall at Stabroek Market
and yuh selling a buncha ripe banana
but Blue Sackie, Kiskidee and Parakeet descend
sehing dat yuh nah know how fih peel banana
suh dem gon gie yuh two cents on de dalla
and one eight when dey finish peeling it!
And all de time dey bragging
about how dem advantage yuh
and when yuh try fih ax foh more
dem talk bout sanctity of contract
which is chapta one, verse one, line one
in de book of exploiters universal.
Sanctity of contract is a high-horsed ploy,
the refuge of last resort
when there’s nowhere else to hide.
Den Kiskidee up ee self and want fih sell
and announce an agreement to sell ee share
to a Macaw wid chevrons on ee wings,
starting a fruit fight in de Stabroek stall
because Blue Sackie and Parakeet
seh how all odem was in de same chicane
and shoulda get de right of fuss refusal.
Den yuh mean to seh dat de contract
between Kiskidee and Macaw
can be reneged or renegotiated
or set aside, revisited or arbitrated?
Rahtid bwoy, excuse mih language, Saar,
but what about de sanctity of contract?
Or dat only apply to poor people
operating in de Stabroek Market stall?
Dr. Tulsi Dyal Singh.
February 28, 2024.