Ah tun ah blind eye

WHEN AH READ dat ah lady from Park Hill whose photo was on Facebook holding ah gum and ah Caption: “ 380 to do god’s knows what in park hill,” was charged by police foh possession of de unlicensed gun, “Ah Tun Ah Blind Eye Pon Dat.

Later when ah read way de Mad-is-straight passed ah 38 months prison sentence pon dat poor Park Hill lady, ah told Lie-Za dat is exactly de same sentence my God-son, Kenroy Cornwall was given last year foh Gun Possession.

Lie-Za said: “tell yuh Godson Kenny, keep de faith because dat Judgement wid de lady from Park Hill is one dat “Got to come to Papa!” To Papa it went, and immediately, out ah Prison de lady went. So ah will “Tun Ah Blind Eye” pon de Mercy Committee’s decision, because my Godson begging foh Mercy too. He is ah hard wuking multi-talented young man. Right now he welding and meking Prison bars and Gates at Bel-Eye. He has two kids, whom he loves sincerely. One just enter Tommy Saunders Secondary. When ah visited Kenny, he told me he phoned to ask Well-fare in what way dey could help wid his children’s maintenance until he comes out, he was told dey give him time to pay up his outstanding $ 4, 000. 00 Child Maintenance when he is released. All who want to say ah Buy-us to ‘Tun Ah Blind Eye” to de lady from Park Hill case, can do so.

But I want to reach out to de Prime Minister to use his “Dat one came to Papa” prerogative and release my God-son Kenroy Cornwall, who has no other criminal record but child maintenance default. .

AND NO PARTY ID PLEASE

Ah remember in de 1960’s -I was just out ah Grammar School how young men wid and widout sailing experience were flocking de Lyric Cinema compound opposite de Court House seeking employment with Nah-shun-all Bulk Sailing Company. Ah vividly recall de name Luther Robertson, ah patriotic Vincy gentleman who was ah big man working with de Oil Refinery in Aruba, and it was he, Luther who on his own steam, secured de contract to recruit Vincentian Sailors from mainland Sin Vin-sin and more particularly, de Grenadines to sail on those Oil Tankers.

Recruiting of sailors was done locally by Mr Robertson’s nephew, Randolph Russell and his hard working wife June Russell, ah woman of integrity who did Yo-woman service for Girl Guiding in SVG. De interview was short. No Party ID! just walk wid you Seaman’s Passport or any documents wid your sailing experience, let me repeat: “No Party ID!” In dem days even if you were ah friend of ah friend of Russell and yuh had no sailing experience you had no chance.

More recently another gentleman named Moses, had de contract to recruit seamen and women for de Cruise Ships. I think to be recruited, one had to pay ah registration fee and den wait one’s turn. Again No party ID. Hundreds, maybe thousands ah young Vincent-shun men and woe-men got an opportunity to sail on de Cruise Ships, sending remittances again amounting to millions of US Dollars to develop SVG. .

De COVID- 19 Pan-demache dealt our Cruise Ship workers ah bad hand, no wuk foh two years. So it was Great News when ah heard dat de Cruise Ships are returning to de ocean, and already hundreds ah Vincent-shuns were lined outside Sunset Shore Hotel, seeking employment and re-employment. Let me repeat foh de third time, so far “No Party ID” was necessary. I say this because ah see Minister James on de news giving an update of de program.

Please Mr Minister: No Party ID please! And wid dat is gone again.

One Love Bassy

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