Bassy - Love Vine
September 10, 2021
He is no Bad John

HE WAS AH young Country Bwoy, poor people pickney, got his CXC subjects and got ah lickle “hold-on” at ah supermarket. But he had his ambitions, and is nobody’s fool. He joined Police Force way yuh get benefits: free uniform, allowances, pen-shun, gratuity and girl-friends.

Very early he saw how “Corn sharing in Egypt,” de options were there, spend ah 10 years in de Force, resign and get ah gratuity, end up way he began as ah constable, or become ah career Police Officer. Ah guardian angel must have spoken to him, gave him good add-vice on de topic of “Success”, gave him a copy of ah Poem entitled: “The Ladder of St Augustine” written by de Poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Verse 10 says: “The heights by great men reached and kept, were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.” Today dat verse still holds.

Wid dat one-dah-full piece of add-vice, Constable Colin John went back to de text books! He did his first degree, an LLB and attended Sir Hugh Wooding Law School in T’n’T and from all reports, he did well. Ah never met him, only heard of him working at de Ah-torn-knee General’s Office.

Commissioner Colin John is ah lawyer by qualification and ah Professional Police Officer, based on merit he earned his position as Commissioner. Lie-Za who knows him says he humble, kind ah soft (ah doh know in what way). She remembers once she was wuking wid ah bully pon she back, and when she come-plain bout her-ass-meant, de Boss uses to de-nigh it, yet dey pon de me-dey-yah addmyth- in how he and she does only talk 3 to 4 times ah day everyday. Commissioner John wuking like when ah “Bully” pon he back. And she reminding him dat bullies come and bullies go, and one day every bully does meet he breaker. She begging him avoid Wretch-ribution, stop these spontaneous arrests, dey smack of Gestapo- is-him..

ANTS GO BRING DE NEWS

When me ole mother, Mavis wanted to warn me bout pending danger, she uses to say : “ If ah dead ants go bring de news!” Ah doh know how dem ants reach all down de cemetery to find PR ‘s grave, to ask him which edition of “De Law and You” did he say: ” Protestors do not have to justify their protests to people who think otherwise. If Politicians decide to protest, de fact dat we do not agree with de reason for de protest; or we do not agree with de nature of de protest, does not reduce or eliminate de legitimacy of that protest…..” Dem ants look foh dat tape and immediately after Commissioner John tek down de Stop Sign he had on de march and put ah Go Sign!

ME-YAH SAY

Prime Minister Me-Yah Mottley of Bo-bathe-us say, de Awe-position in dat country wants her to “Lock Down”again, because of de latest COVID 19 sit-yuh-hear-shun. She refuses stating she has options, but first she is asking Bajans to follow protocol wid more diligence. Wear Mas, Wash hands, keep distances and take de Vaccine. If de need be, She and her Cabinet members plan to go house to house, like when dey were calmpain- in foh votes to tek office, and try convincing her people to tek de Jab.

What humility. What ah difference in Leadership.

In SVG, despite protests, Go-venom-mint run to Par-liar-mint to Amend de Public Health Act, to force Front-line people to “Vaccinate or doh past de Gate” I took de Vaccine early, and ah would encourage everybody to seriously consider teking de Jab, but ah do not support no Law against Front-line Wukers dat say “ No Jab No Wuk!

And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

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