Dear Sir,

In response to (Member of Parliament) Rolfe (Commissiong’s) letter’s veiled contempt; everything I say or write can be veiled when seen through the colouration of a jaundiced mind. Taking his points in order; He shoots my efforts in South Africa as an effort to save them from themselves, which is entirely an accusation with no reference other than his misgivings about anything I do. Here is classic example of Mr Commissiong, rather than involve and promote something which is potentially beneficial to black people in Bermuda and South Africa and the world, throws scorn on the efforts because of his own vain contempt.

As regards my black activism; after the riots of 1977 I worked on the idea of developing Dockyard which was adopted becoming known as the Petersburg Plan passed and granted $10 million seed capital. After the strike of 1981, I focused efforts on developing the Back of Town to create opportunity for blacks. I employed and trained hundreds of black men. During Apartheid I was financially supporting AIDS treatment and awareness programmes in SA and programmes to treat swamp breeding grounds for locust, which ate crops, killing millions. Here is the difference there are those who, like Mr Commissiong would protest things like Apartheid where the white hand of oppression is visible, but when it’s time to build our own have no energy. There are those who would rather corroborate and turn a blind eye to black corruption, and then have time to protest and criticise white bigotry but no time or energy to build a legitimate and positive black economic future for ourselves.

“Emancipate yourself from mental slavery non but our selves can free our minds” (Marcus Garvey)

Next the Sally Basset issue at the Cabinet grounds: If you look at that picture in The Royal Gazette I was holding an oar pointing in the direction of Southampton. What would holding an oar with a rope tied around the base of the statue have to do with an act of appeasing Point Shares or Harbour Road (according Mr Commissiong)? If they gained pleasure they also would have missed my point. Unfortunately he lacks in Bermudian history, Sally Basset’s last contact with the mainland was about two hundred yards from where I was born and lived near Five Star Island (Wilson Island) My family of Darrell dates back to 1640 we had property in Southampton deemed back to the 17th century.

I have family folklore about Sally Basset being burned at the stake on an island. (My grandfather Emilius Darrell, was a pilot and drove past that island everyday so it figures). I never knew where and thought for many years it was an island near Flatts. However, a researcher Leyoni Yunus came to my residence some years ago trying to uncover a clue when she asked me where a bridle path was that lead to Wilson Island. I showed her where it existed when I was a youth. Then she referenced some documents of one of my ancient Darrell relatives who was blind, standing near that path when Sally had last walked to board a boat, He reports of hearing the crowd who had gathered to watch her burning, saying later they saw the smoke.

During the 18th century there was no such name as Hamilton Harbour, the whole stretch beginning from the little islands was called Crow Lane. Sally was burned on Tobits island which was used for executions, I was trying to bring attention to the true history of Sally Basset burning at the stake in Crow Lane. I was also saying that it would be better to place statues of Arnold Francis and Sir Henry (Jack) Tucker as symbols of two sides of the political equation as first leaders of their respective parties instead at the cabinet grounds. I thought of bringing truth to the situation by removing the statue of Sally either to the island where she was executed or back home in Southampton and give her a final resting place. Of course this is nothing Mr Commissiong could connect with because he has no history like that to want to protect or celebrate and would prefer to use her statue to promote a race bating.

KHALID WASI