Jarnila Jackson, Features Writer

Governor General Sir Kenneth Hall (centre) inspects the Guard of Honour just before delivering the Throne Speech at yesterday's opening of Parliament at Gordon House, downtown Kingston. - Photos by Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

It was a challenge, my quest to find an audience in Tivoli Gardens, located in the West Kingston constituency of Prime Minister Bruce Golding.

Not that it was at all hard to find a bar - there was at least one on every corner. However, at my first stop, the television reception was 'not good', at my second the patrons were deeply entranced by a DVD being shown.

I found the most patrons at a betting shop where both televisions were occupied by horse racing and they were not about to change the channel. Finally, in a place where one can still find Khus Khus (perfume) on sale, along with good luck candles, success salts and peace water, after pleading with the store owner he switches the television to the governor general's throne speech; his initial comment was, "We not watching one thing in here."

A man fights sleep

The smell of rum is pungent in the air, and a man fights sleep near the end of the bar.

"Yu si dis, dis whole heap a pom pom pai, dem fi get rid a, it remind me a Busta days, Manley days, colonialism. Yu know how much manpower is lost there, wid the whole 300 a dem stan' up the whole day?" says the store owner of the extravagance preceeding the actual speech.

The bar shares space with a general store, and while there is much activity on the side of the store, only I and about two others are actually watching the television.

"I think, in layman's terms, a lot of people don't understand what it is all about," explains the owner, of the uninterested public.

"Ee, people jus wa know a waddat pon TV," joins the young man to my left.

"I have no comment because I have no idea," adds a patron puffing a cigarette in the corner.

Food security

On they chatter above the mutterings of the governor general. The man in the corner becomes attentive as he addresses the issue of food security: "Him a talk nonsense! Create more food? Weh di land space deh? The population a grow, how yu ago provide fi dem?"

"Some people dem a fool," shouts a man from behind a stack of crates. He is more interested in the superstitious literature being sold in the store.

"Some?" questions the man in the corner, "I cyaa listen to wa him a seh, I have to get a copy of it in my hands to analyse it, I don't know if that can work."

As the speech comes to an end, the bartender rolls her eyes at the screen, no one hears when the governor general says, "Our people are our most precious assets." They remain disenfranchised, detached and completely unaware.