Big up who fi big up and small up who fi small up, cause a talk di tings time yah now! Mi anno 'reader woman' but mi ago pray fi unnoticed and mi hope seh oonuh ago pray fi mi too!

Why me seh dat? Well, as per usual, a new year come and a new budget buss pan we! Story come to bubblegum cause it sticky bad!

Seriously, the annual budget is a serious matter weh the whole a we fi a pay attention to. Mi know seh nuff people watch the budget being "tabled in Parliament" and don't have a clue weh dat mean or what it entails! Some no know if a dinner or kitchen table and really no know how the budget will affect the food on those two tables! Dem talk inna all kinda stocious language weh most a we don't understand ... the only time when the majority a we understand wah really a gwaan a when dem start beat the table dem in deh and seh "here here!"

The budget is a document that sets out the government's financial plans for the country in the new year. It is an estimate of what the Government plans to spend and what income it intends to raise in order to cover or pay for the planned expenditure. It's normally delivered by the minister of finance heralding the start of the new Parliamentary year.

bad condition

The MP dem dress and well shampoo fi go inna the opening of Parliament, while the country in a bad condition! Normally, a weeping and wailing and gnashing of teet because a budget is typically accompanied by taxes! Yeah! "Taxes"! A likkle eeny bitsy word weh mek big tuff man and ooman bawl more time! Ah mi fi tell yuh! Either dem lik wi wid new taxes or dem tun on the agony by increasing the old one dem! More time, dem huff and puff and big up dem chest and a seh "no new taxes'. Then when dem think seh yuh naw penny ah ting dem pull a Nicodemus pan yuh and drop de taxes pan yuh widdout warning! Sometimes yuh haffi wonder why yuh badda fi wuk!

Nonetheless, the budget is an important document for the country, often setting the tone for the year. It will affect the livelihood of many depending on whether it tight or 'nice' (if there is such a ting as a nice budget!!). Quite often a whole heap a people lose dem job because hard times can result in lay-offs, down-sizing, or 'right-sizing'! This is where the Opposition tries to play it's role by criticising and picking apart the budget. We haffi memba bout IMF and fi dem bag a test dem weh we haffi pass ... or else!!

scarce resources

Over the years the budget is tabled with the scarce resources the country has, yet the tax dem weh fi a mek the country run better and mek di people dem alrite never seem fi a do dat! Sometimes mi a wonder if it nuh betta we get people in Parliament who a live pon a budget inna real life! Nuff poor people (especially the woman dem!) throw dem 'pardoner' and look after nuff pickney pan minimum wage and likkle on nutten! It come in like seh a dem shoulda be the minister of finance.

Each of us must do our own budget, band wi belly and cut our careless spending. We need fi a spend pon tings weh mek sense and weh ago yield growth and development for the people.

Remember though seh we haffi save ... no matter what if a even $100 a month! Memba di Widow's mite!

Mi a gwaan look and listen and oonuh know mi will keep unnu up to di time wid the information, and bruk it done so the whole a we understand! Gwaan hold tight and keep di faith!