By Jamil Matar
I have a younger brother living in the States, who regularly asks me for updates on the condition of the New River here in OW. Since I had the opportunity yesterday to speak with my friend, Polanco, who lives about 150 feet from watside, I asked him about it. He told me that the stench has completely gone and the water is now clear and even some life is present in the water already. While I do not see local anglers harvesting any base-snooks (also called robalos) any time soon, I think this improvement will benefit the tour operators who charter tourists to Lamanai. Look, I know there are now several watchdog committees monitoring the river, but all it takes is common sense to figure out that the river will be killed again next year, and not by white lime discharge from corn tortillas or the rain water effluent from storm drains. You figure it out.
On the political landscape, I saw on TV the impressive crowd in attendance at the Civic for the launching of the Hon. Saldivar’s bid for UDP Party Leader. Since The Guardian does not allow endorsement of any particular candidate against the other in intraparty conventions, I can only make generalized comments. When I saw the news clip of the event on Channel Fox, in spite of some “Pania Machete” delegates, a couple of Creole proverbs immediately sprung to mind; “it’s not the first horse that bolts the gate wins the race.” In billiards, it is said, “an excellent player is classified not only by how well he shoots, but how well he snookers his opponent.” In the same news segment, Hon. Faber is quoted as saying that the battle was not over yet, and I believe him. He is no Superman, but people who know him well jokingly refer to him as pit-bull. When he bites unto something, he will not let go. Let us wait and see how this turns out February 2020.
I heard a doctor comment on TBN that while it is important to monitor what we eat, it is not usually what we eat that sickens us, it is what is eating us that is a killer. That said, I saw the member from Cayo South last night on TV going on and on about a lawsuit against GOB he had initiated a couple of years ago, then abandoned, then resuscitated. He claims to be willing to pursue his crusade all the way to the CCJ. This thing is eating that man so bad he looks pallid and grim. He seems so consumed in becoming the center forward of the PUP’s First 11, in that he is willing to do anything for a chance at a microphone and a camera to bring him out of the backbench. Since his field of expertise mainly lies in acquiring government real estate for pittances, I do not see him scoring any goals soon. Just my take, mind you; I am no Tilliman Nunez either.
