I HAD THE PRIVILEGE and the pleasure last weekend of attending the third Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence, in Port of Spain, capital of the “Twin Island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago”. When the Awards were initiated about four years ago, yours truly was accorded the honour of being chairperson of the nominating committee for our region. Since then, with the involvement of some of our leading practitioners in the arts, science and community service, we have presented some of our finest exemplars of excellence to be considered for the honours.

Awards and honours have become commonplace, maybe even overdone, to the extent where some say we run the risk of “debasing the coinage”. The Caribbean Awards for Excellence, though new, is already demonstrating its value. Candidates are subject to rigorous scrutiny, first by their National Committees and then by the Panel of Eminent Persons representing civic, academic and cultural leadership drawn from the wider Caribbean. The panel is not impressed by profiling or connections but by the quality of accomplishments of the aspirants and their contribution to the building up of the Caribbean.

The first year (2006) that Jamaica contended, the award in science went to Professor Terrence Forrester of the University of the West Indies’ Tropical Medicine Research Institute. His reputation in medical research is widely recognised and respected. The award for Community Service that year went to Father Ramkissoon of the Mustard Seed Community for the tremendous programmes of spiritual and physical care for the poor and neglected, especially victims of HIV and AIDS. Father Ramkissoon was born in the “Twin Island Republic” but has lived in Jamaica for many years and is now “one a wi”.

The second time that we went to the competition (2008), we brought back a shared award in the category of Community Service. This honour went to Claudette Pious of Children First, the Spanish Town-based programme of redemption, rehabilitation and refreshment (as I like to think of it) for young people with an uncertain future, until they come under the wings of Miss P and crew.

Guyana returned to the winner’s circle for 2010, this time with a project led by another Amerindian Guyanese, Sydney Allicock, whose mission is to make education more accessible to prepare his people for the challenges of new times. Besides academic work, they are encouraged also to become guardians of the ancestral heritage of their environment. His acceptance speech last Saturday night was deceptively simple, but held a deep, and at times, urgent call for the Caribbean to value its natural heritage and strive to maintain its integrity, for the good of all its people.

The Arts Award went to the St Lucian, Adrian Augier (a nephew of the distinguished Sir Roy Augier of UWI fame). Augier the younger has managed to use his degrees in economics for a successful career in business management and consultancy, even while exercising his talent as a poet and skilled theatre organiser-practitioner. His acceptance speech was an elegantly crafted poem, warning the Caribbean against retreat behind burglar bars and guard dogs, instead of facing the challenge of gun boys on the corner.

Presented any other way, the address might have frightened away those who came out to enjoy an elegant social event. By the time Mr Augier brought the poem to a close, the seriousness of the message had hit its mark, afflicting the comfortable and hopefully comforting the afflicted.

The third awardee, Dr Kathleen Coard, Professor of Pathology at UWI, Mona, enlightened the audience to the fact that pathology was not confined to television detectives – CSI and all of that – using forensic science to catch murderers. Instead, pathology is a more complex and vital component in the practice of medicine. What could have been boring stuff became really interesting because of Prof Coard’s witty and engaging style.

The Caribbean Awards for Excellence is not only for personal recognition but facilitates projects, including research, recommended by the awardees. The awards ceremony was a well-produced event. A good time was had by all… and more important, three more persons have every reason to be proud of being Caribbean.

I stayed over into Monday to get a taste of the campaigning for the newly announced general elections set for May 24. The talk shows – more strident and contemptuous of the laws of libel and slander than anything we have here – tore through the air with screaming and yelling the minute the date was announced. Early indications are that it will be no walkover for Mr Patrick Manning and the PNM. Allegations of corruption, cronyism and mismanagement are being hurled at Mr Manning who is also highly criticised for his management style. “Arrogance” and “high-handed” were the kindest of the adjectives used.

His opposition, which has always appeared fractured and divided, has come together to form a coalition, which is already confident that it is their time. The leader of the coalition, Mrs Kamala Persad-Bissessar, who was once Mr Basdeo Panday’s right hand, is convinced that she will become TT’s first woman prime minister. It is said – and not denied – that her campaign machinery includes American political strategists imported to fashion an Obama-style campaign, calling for change and portraying a leader who is softer, gentler and more caring. Mr Manning, meanwhile, has indicated he has no intention of going down without a fight.

Messages encased in calypso rhythms are burning up the TV and radio airwaves already. The most compelling, sponsored by the coalition, is a jump-up and “wine” composition by the calypsonian Crazy. The refrain – Patrick Manning have to go… delivered with a catchy beat, features in a saturation campaign on radio and TV. It is going to be a hard one to beat, but as the politicians will tell you, “the campaign just start”.

BIG-BIG QUESTION: The most recent declaration of Air Jamaica’s sell-by date is April 30 – a few days from now. In his presentation in the budget debate on Tuesday, PM Golding seemed confident that any minute now the Lovebird will fly away, freeing us of the debt. He seemed to imply that all was well with the Caribbean Airlines deal which, as soon as concluded, would be conveyed to us through Parliament. He made no mention, however, of the impending general election in Trinidad and Tobago and whether Mr Manning signed off on the deal before he stepped down from office. If he didn’t, how will we achieve the April 30 target on which the PM is banking? Big question needing big answer.

gloudonb@yahoo.com