I always boast dat I am ah proud Nah-Shun-All Insurance Service (NIS) Pensioner. Happy wid my $179.00 ah fortnight benefit.

It is small, but regular. NIS is like ah Sacred Financial Institution created by All-mighty to tek care of de Poor, less fortunate or even Desolate, if and when we find ourselves in greatest need. We pay ah very small contribution from our salary to de NIS, who invest it, and later in life we doh have to go secretly to Poor Relief Office foh de pittance. No, we can walk into de bank like our Die-us-poorer brothers and sisters.

Primarily, ah Social Security is designed to provide citizens, workers with a source ah income when dey re-tyre or if dey cannot work due to a disability. Our Nah-shun-all Insurance Services (NIS) in SVG is equivalent to ah mini-school version of de Social Security Service (SSS) in de USA.

Unfortunately, word on de street is dat de NIS in trouble, and all of ah sudden, everybody has become an Expert on Social Security. De concensus is dat de Go-venom-mint used our NIS money on all kind ah dead Projects, even borrowing NIS money to pay public servants salaries, and when time to pay back, de borrow again from de NIS . Talk bout digging ah hole to fill ah hole.

Lie-Za’s info source is dat in de 1960’s Jimmy Jordan, an Advisor from Head Office (UK) conducted ah study in de Windward Islands dealing wid Welfare, Old Age Benefit, Death
Benefit and so on. Hon Milton Cato bought into de I-dare, and in 1970, de National Provident Fund (NPF), laid de foundation for what is known today as de National Insurance Services (NIS).

So all de ole talk dat NIS was de brain child of former PM Milton Cato, should be taken wid ah pinch ah salt.

De man who placed de NPF, now de NIS on its strong footing is its first Director, Mr. Claude “Sammo” Samuel; nuff respect to dat man. Sammo is described by his shool-mates as ah bright Lickle youth-man from Shatto who had won an H.A. Davis Scholarship foh BGS. How he breezed thru school in four years. He maintained his brilliance, went to University, became ah career Public Servant, served as PS in just about every ministry. He worked at CDB during its early years. When Government upgraded de Government Savings Bank to de Nah-shun-all Commercial Bank (NCB), Sammo was appointed its First Manager. She not easy, she ask if he got any sons. Ah tell her yes, Haz and Malcolm Samuel ah top surgeon. Friends can’t believe dat
Sammo name is nowhere on any Honours list.

Well NIS planning ah Pen-shun Reform, but first people’s con-fee-dense has to be restored. Lie- Za say we need to know plenty tings like how much NIS money has Go-venom-mint borrowed and foh what projects, how and when do dey plan to recover all dis money.

We must show con-fee-dense in our NIS, if our perception dat Go-venom-mint is enter-fear-in is correct , den de people will have to “ Gey rid ah dem!” And wid dat is gone ah gone again.
One Love Bassy

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