Congratulations to our Special Olympians

Firstly, ah wish to congratulate de successful SVG Team dat attended de World Special Olympics Summer Games in Los Angeles, dey brought back home a record 22 medals which included 4 Golds, 12 Silvers and 6 Bronze. Ah can’t recall any team from SVG attending ah World Games and bringing home so many medals. Hats off to de Athletes, de management team and de Fund Raising Committee. De Opening Ceremony was grand, simply spectacular! Coach, Terrance delivered himself well in an interview during de march past.{{more}} He was captain of SVG’s field hockey team dat won Gold at de World Special Olympics back in the 1990’s. Lie-Za went to de Airport to welcome home de Athletes, and is only Lie-Za will notice dat no Go-venom-men’t official turned up. Ah told her not to worry, Special Needs Persons know way going on, dey know who love and appreciate dem.

Next, ah want to congratulate Kenville Horne, ah young Vincent-shun, ah Rose Hall Country-boy who was among 60 other candidates from de Commonwealth, dat participated in ah “Queen’s Young Leaders Program.” Kenville was recognized as an exceptional leader in his community, Rose Hall. What dis country needs right now is ah few more young men in our communities like Kenville!

YUH FOOL WE AGAIN PM

Next, ah want to congratulate de PM and his CEO Dr. Matthias for full-failing us again, on dey promises. Ah will have to quote from ah September 7th. 2014 article, ah masterpiece entitled “A story worth telling: A review of the Argyle International Airport Project” written by Haz Samuel, ah young Vincent-shun wid remarkable talent. Haz wrote: “On an Aug. 7 (2014) site visit, the prime minister, surrounded by his cabinet colleagues and IADC top brass, confirmed that December 2014 was indeed the target for substantial completion of the project, while Dr. Matthias assured the public that the plan was to have the airport operating by the middle of 2015.” Today is exactly ah year after those promises were made and ah month after de middle of 2015. Airport no-way ready! In fact, three days ago dis week, de PM was in Par-liar-mint seeking approval foh thirteen million dollars more to spend on de Airport which was to have been completed four years ago!! All I am asking is if de Pry-minister deliberately setting out to fool de nation or he refusing to over-standing de dates given dem in Cuban Spanish.

MY I-RISH AND SPIRITUAL BAPTIST RIGHTS

Next, Congrats to de Spiritual Baptist Movement in SVG, dey celebrating fifty (50) years ah “Freedom to Worship” anywhere in SVG. De name George Mc Intosh will rank high in de early days ah de struggle. Joshua too, was ah hero among de organization, Duff James made ah contribution as well, but de modern day hero of de Spiritual Baptiste Movement is Chancellor, Parnel “PR” Campbell. Dat’s how sophisticated de organization has become, dey have ah Chancellor. PR proudly identified as ah functioning member and when he was Attorney General brought ah level ah dignity to de Organisation. Nina Maloney, NBC Radio assistant manager, travelled to every lickle “Praise House” in SVG, delivering to de nation, Spiritual Baptist services live on Radio. I should ah bin Spiritual Baptist too. My maternal Grand-Father was Pointer Bailey, ah white Irish descendant from Dorsetshire Hill, he was ah Spiritual Baptiste Leader back in de 1940’s. He was married to ah Black Woman, which explains how dis white I-rish-man became ah member of Spiritual Baptiste, ah100 percent Black People Religion. Lie-Za say ah must do like Garifuna, go to Irie-land and claim me I-rish Roots, tell dem ah name Bassy Bailey looking foh my Bailey Roots and my share in Bailey’s Irish Cream. But Grandpa Bailey’s Praise House was in de downstairs of his home, he had plenty bad dogs, Police didn’t dare enter his home say de mashing up his Prayer Meeting, remember also, he was white. Grandpa was ah serious Pointer, he had “Eyes of Faith” he could ah see things in de spirit world. People came from all over wid dey candle and dey gifts, to find out who wuk O-B-Ah pon dem. Grandpa and Ralph would ah get along, dey both were white and dey both wuk O-B-Ah foh God! Ah think ah go check Chancellor Campbell foh my Spiritual Baptist Membership.

WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE

And finally, let me recognize de passing of Sister Elma Dougan, former Principal Nursing Officer (PNO); wife of Car-Lie Doo-gun ah Lawyer of Distinction. Elma was mother, sister to many which includes dat noble profession, de Nursing fraternity. Interestingly sometime ago Dr Kitty Israel and I were discussing Hell’t in SVG, same time Elma passed, said hello and left. It was den Kitty who is ah “Plain Jane,” spoke of Elma’s life-style as ah professional, her profoundness, her demands for high standards, strong ethics and ah woman of substance. Den she said: “Bassy quote me if yuh wish, but today’s Nurses will be well advised to revisit foh guidance, Elma’s work and Leg-ah-see during her stint as PNO.” My most pleasant memory of Sis Elma was de time when SVG made it big regionally and internationally foh having reduced de high rate of Infant Mortality dat was like ah plague, Elma Dougan was den head ah de Nursing Unit. Thank yuh Sister, enjoy yur well deserved peaceful rest. And wid dat, is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

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