By Darcel Choy Monday, January 7 2013

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Song for UNC: Winston Scarborough, The Original De Fosto, performs on a UNC platform in St Augustine during the 2010 general election campaign. ...

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Michael “Sugar Aloes” Osuna has responded to his critics in song with his 2013 contribution “My Response” and he believes it will be well received by his fans and colleagues in the business.

Osuna has been criticised by many for performing at a People’s Partnership anniversary rally in May of last year in Chaguanas and in Tobago in June where he serenaded Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar with Taurrus Riley’s reggae hit “She’s Royal”.

He also recently performed at the Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP) 2013 THA election campaign in Tobago on December 30. The TOP is a coalition member of the People’s Partnership.

Osuna has been an ardent supporter of the Opposition People’s National Movement and vocal critic of the People’s Partnership, particularly of the majority party of the coalition, the United National Congress.

In his new song, Osuna sings, “whoever is prime minster, holds office all over the land, whether you in opposition or some government faction, respect is due to the man or woman so I was really confused for true by all the hullabaloo because I pick up the PM hand and sing she’s royal some people say Aloes cross the floor how me aint PNM no more and they start to behave cynical.”

He then points out that he is a true calypsonian who is doing his job and tells his critics they don’t have the right to say he must not work for a living.

In a telephone interview with Newsday yesterday, Osuna said the song was written by Gregory “GB” Ballantyne and himself. He said he decided to pen the song after he was booed by a few people while performing at the Independence Anniversary National Calypso Monarch in August last year.

Osuna said he does not expect any hostility from persons this year and he hopes to have a good season.

“Since the song has been released there has been some good feedback from several people so I hope I will have a good season,” he said.

Osuna said if he makes it through to the semi-finals of the Calypso Monarch competition at Skinner Park in San Fernando he will be prepared.

“I will be prepared for anything but I know I went to work. My occupation doesn’t debar from performing for special people, I am an entertainer by profession, I am going to do my job,” he said.

His opponent, Winston Scarborough (The Original De Fosto), intends to go into the Calypso Monarch with his contribution, “Aloo Sing”. Scarborough said the song echoes the sentiments of the people who were disappointed and outraged after seeing Osuna performing for the Government. He noted in Osuna’s new song that he said he was working but when Scarborough along with Edwin “Crazy” Ayoung performed for the Government in 2011, Osuna was their loudest critic.

“He was the most upset person about us performing but he is saying he was working. The interesting thing is I was not going to write a song but people kept asking me if I was going to write one and I did,” he said.

In the song, Scarborough says, “People start to talk, east, west, north and south, all in New York well the talk spread all about, we have a special guest, everybody waiting to see, when he reach the stage Mid Centre Mall went in a frenzy, PNM bawl out no no no that aint Crazy, De Fosto too dark and he head done bald already you know they could not believe their eyes well who they saw on TV, singing royally for Kamla and the PP.”