Don’t use The Bible for political motive

06.MAR.09

Editor: Bassy Alexander has been entertaining Vincentians for years with his insuppressible humor wrapped around astute perspectives and political commentary. He is a man I admire for being decent, outspoken and honest. In last week’s Searchlight, he unabashedly declared: “PM, yuh election date wrong.” And the style of his argument made me laugh, as intended.{{more}}

But jokes aside, the PM is wrong, not only regarding the speculated election date, but in many other domains, one of which was mentioned in Bassy’s column. Religion is a serious matter, and when the good book is “used” for political motive, the “user” should beware. Vincentians must also take heed, for it was Shakespeare, I believe, who observed and cautioned that “the devil can cite scripture for his own purpose.” Christians must remember the words of John 10:2-5: “My sheep hear my voice…but the voice of a stranger they will not follow.” Today I simply urge Vincy Christians to hear the voice of the good Shepherd and not the voice of those who are strangers to the Bible. A man is a stranger to the Bible in his utterances of profanity according to Colossians 3:8: “Filthy communications out your mouth”. He is a stranger much more in actions of profanity (heaven-pointed middle finger). Further, as elections approach, let us stand on the word that such people do not ultimately prosper but are as “chaff in the wind” Psalm 1:4. And again, Psalm 92:7 “though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction.”

Bassy also commented on the “Jumbie airport”, and this may be an appropriate label not only from a humorous standpoint but from a financial one as well. Many people simply don’t see the airport as something that will benefit SVG in the long run. This is because the expected traffic between SVG and the US or Europe is not predicted to be sufficient for the airport to operate at a profit. Such people envision an occasional flight, a couple times a week, which defeats the promise of lucrative financial returns. Also contributing to its demise is the fact that SVG is not properly marketed as a tourist attraction – at least not the mainland, which means that returning Vincentians, whether for Christmas or Carnival, will not be able to carry the burden of operating costs and offset attendant expenses. The rising crime statistics are another deterrent to tourism, again serving to dampen financial prospects. As such, the lack of bustling business may well condemn this project to the status of a jumbie airport in a ghost town, where spirits abide in its eerie and silent inactivity.

John Smith