Luke chapter 11 vs 4

Is ah shame how dah lickle matter wid de student at St Joseph’s Convent (School) Kingstown, tun into ah “back-anal!” Ah deliberately refrained from writing about it, figuring dat de Education Department is an institution wid ah long line ah commands, matters like de-ten-shun, suspend-shun, expul-shun is settled in-house, and should Never! Ah repeat Never reach Court House. Dis non-cents got out-ah-hand some years ago when de Human Rights Lawyer took ah teacher to Courts foh using de strap or ruler (in excess) on ah student in Stubbs Primary School. {{more}} De Teacher was fined $2,000. My feelings is dat from de day dat Teacher was punished, Teachers washed dey hand and from den students, parents and politicians running tings.

Lie-Za was summer-I-sing foh me all dat went down at de Convent School. She says dat de Teacher wrote ah standard comment on de student’s book: “this is untidy work.”

De out ah place student, give back de Teacher “word foh word” and wrote ah rude comment next to de Teacher’s: “Untidy like yuh (punk-ah-narny) dat ain’t see laundry (foh how many days).” Going thru de student’s book sometime after, de Teacher saw de note, and dat was her last straw dat broke de Camel’s back. Apparently de student had secured several Yellow Cards, so dis encounter got her de final Convent Red Card. She was suspended foh two days, allowed to finish de term, do her Exams which she passed and was promoted. De Ministry however, issued her wid ah transfer to EHS Mespo.

De matter reached de family’s Lawyer, Jomo Thomas. Whatever might be said of Jomo in dis one, he is first and foremost de beneficiary of ah Roman Cat-lick Eddy-care-shun, St Mary’s Primary den St Martin’s Secondary. Jomo’s only mistake is dat in trying to get Justice foh his client, he chose Man’s Law Book when he should ah gone straight foh de Bible, Jah Law Book. Meet wid de Cat-Lick Bishop Gordon and Monsignor Stewart, two men of great influence Christian Faith. Remind all parties, teachers, parent and students of de words of de Big Man Himself in Verse 4 of Luke chapter 11: “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.”

Unfortunately ah lot ah bad water done pass under de bridge, so it might be unwise, and probably too late foh de student to return to Convent, but let Forgiveness be de operative word. Teachers as well as child and mother need our support, de child should be placed in ah school dat is as reputable as Convent Kingstown, GHS, Tommy Saunders or Convent Mespo. De young lady’s behavior is not unique, our children teking dey Cue from we de parents and de worthless environment. Check out dem fellars in Par-liar-mint way dey mek Laws, watch how dey does behave.

Ah commend de Principal’s Association foh showing spinal fortitude when dey stormed de Court House in full-some support ah de Principal and Teachers at Convent School. Lie-Za recalls was only John Renton of Tommy Saunders and Jones of BGS who did support GHS Principal, Mrs Bowman when she objected to de Bar next to the Bus Stop way close to 1,000 students line up foh transport every afternoon. And she asking way de Principals bin when de same Principal Bowman was dragged over de coals foh giving ah Zero to de student found wid de cell phone in Class. Ley we leave de young lady name out.

Lie-Za say dat adults must know way to draw de line. She is questioning who helped wid de venom and hatred written on dem placards dat de Convent students displayed on Monday, when dey protested against any return of dey sister student. “We got ah country to build (starting in school) and if we don’t do it, who will” Thank yuh “Man Age.”

ANOTHER HYSTERICAL WRONG

Culture Minister, Cess Mc Kie if he must address patrons at de Nine Mornings build-up, must not tell dem dat de Festival is 100 years old, he could be misleading. De Ministry’s theory dat de slaves uses to follow de masters to church and den walk de streets is contradicting. Slavery was abolished in 1835, seventy-eight years before Nine Mornings was allegedly started in 1913. Mas man and Researcher, Blondie Bird speaks about a Mr John in Sion Hill now in his 90’s who said dat John’s grand-parents, told dem about their day as kids going Nine Mornings, so we looking at approximately 150 years ago. Ah young man, Noel Jackson who hosts ah Kaiso program on WE-FM on Thus-dey nights, told Lie-Za dat his mother, Tine Hunte tells ah story dat her grand-mother, Maude Hunte also told dem as kids, how dey uses to get up early and go walking foh Nine Mornings. Granny Maude was 70 years old when she died in 1953; she was therefore born in 1883. Local Historian, Doc Fraser has written intensely refuting dat 1913 date.

Minister Mc Kie’s own uncle, Doc Adams has written ah number of History Books on SVG, including one on Nine Mornings. Ah believe dat de Ministry ah Culture is creating another Hysterical Wrong !

And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy.

Bassy Alexander is a land surveyor, folklorist and social commentator.