Love is still the answer

Police are very special people; long may it be so. It is unfortunate dat de relationship between Police and Civilian has deteriorated so badly, dat an 18-year-old man in his village, would arm himself with ah knife to attend de village Primary School Fair, ah function planned foh kids to socialize, eat, drink and be merry. So he decides to mek trouble, he picks an argument with young Giovani Charles, ah pleasant budding Policeman. De story is dat de law officer was stabbed and his life cut down in de line of duty.{{more}}

Ah was telling Lie-Za dat ah went up to Sharpes dis week where on de Block, was ah group ah youngsters. From de time dey saw me with note book and pencil, dey wanted to know if ah was ah Cop, one asked if ah had ah Warrant foh him. When ah told dem my mission, dey asked if ah wanted someone to wuk wid me. Dey have interest in learning skills, mechanics and so on. But ah got from dem ah sense ah resentment of the Police. How quickly things have changed, in my day dey was more respect for and less fear of de Police. He walked around wid ah Staff only, was polite, asked questions and got lots of cooperation. Today de image of our Police is completely different. Is either SSU, Black Squad or nothing. Ah vehicle literally flies thru de area, stops suddenly, on board is ah half-ah-dozen men wid females sometimes, de colour ah dey clothes alone is intimidating, not to mention de high powered rifles dey carry, when dey dismount de vehicle, it reminds me of de War Movie “To Hell and Back” wid Audey Murphy. Dat’s how ole and backward we are in time.

Maybe ah should back track to when de last ah de White Chief ah Police left and was replaced by our first Caribbean top Cop, Colonel Anderson. In dem days de Police Force was smaller, children knew every Policeman from de Commissioner to de one female Officer, Ms Prescod; two Traffic Officers, Immigration Officers; about six Fire Fighters; and ah few tusty and aporayshus (thirsty and avoracious) cops on de beat.

Colonel Anderson is long remembered as de best of de crop dat followed de white man. He encouraged Police involvement in community affairs in particular sports and culture. He was Jah-mek-han, land of Ackie and Salt-fish and he planted an Ackie tree in every Police Station. Back den Police played in de various divisions of National Cricket Champs; de same thing foh Football, ah remember officers who never kicked ah ball representing police at Victoria Park, men miss-kicking penalty. Nuff laughs and de crowd never missed ah match wid Police. But, de interaction and de integration between Police and civilian flourished. Today we have de Pan Against Crime Initiative, thanks to de Police, but Col. Anderson was way ahead, he recruited into de Fire Services, two ah SVG’s best ever Panmen, Tanny Peters and Vin Cato to get his Police Steel Orchestra going. Not only was it de top band, but dey toured Canada and did ah recording dey. Police teams participated in local Basketball and Netball tournaments. De Police Athletics Meeting drew large crowds. Ah Police team participated in de National Athletics Championship as well as Regional Police Athletics Champs.

Ah will lay no claims as ah So-see-all-ah-jist, but we need to revisit de past and see from whence we came! While Law and Order must be upheld, history has shown dat all de Battle ships, fighter Planes, bombs and guns have not brought Peace, not yet. One side might be overpowered and surrenders, but soon dey are ready again to fight. Love is still de answer.

ARM-IN IN DE LION DEN

One ah de reason why ah want Arm-in Eustace to be Prime Minister if even is foh one day, is because of de vicious calm-pain by de NME of de State to keep him out. Ah realize more dan ever, dat de thought of Arn-in becoming Prime Minister, is causing night-mares and many ah night of sleeplessness foh those Criminals of de White Crime Order. Ah read parts of de now pop-yuh-law OAS observers’ report of de December 10th elections; and ah come to de conclusion dat de Elections were rigged, bugged and stolen by de ULP machinery.

As ah youth I attended ah Met-dis Open Air Sunday School in Sir Rupert John’s garage, his wife of blessed memory was one ah my Sunday School Teachers. She told us de story of Daniel, how dey had passed ah Law to stop him from praying to his God, our God! But Daniel was Fearless. he Feared no one but God. Lady John explained “Fear of de Lord” to us. She told us, either we Fear God and den Fear nothing else and no one else, or don’t Fear God and den Fear everyone and everything else. Daniel refused to stop praying, he was thrown in de Den wid vicious Lions. De Lions bowed down at his feet. Lie-Za say SVG is like ah den of Lions wid Arm-in safely inside. Fire foh all who want to kick him out, he will go, only when he cleans up de mess de country dey in! And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy.

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