My Primary School days started in ABC way we did Addition: 1 bun plus 1 bun = 2 buns (1+1=2); and Subtraction 2 buns tek away 1 bun leaves 1 bun (2-1=1). In de higher Grades, Standard 1 to 6, all buns were eaten, we moved up from de simple Addition to Multiplication, ah short cut. Instead ah adding an integer or whole number to itself, like 1 + 1+1+1 mek 4, we “bring dem to-gather” one four times or four-ones mek 4, (4×1=4) . But de opposite or reverse of Multiplication way we Increased, is Division, to separate, 4 divided by 4 =1.{{more}}

Dat simple Division as in Arithmetic, could apply to life in SVG way Division is rampant resulting in serious declines and decreases. We see it in Agriculture production and Tour-is-him arrivals, jobs, love among our people way we pull and tug, argue, quarrel and separate. Look at de Division in Par-liar-mint, way our General and his foot soldiers line on one side against de NME, de Awe-position soldiers, not to Multiply but to Divide. Dey quarrel and argue and even get kicked out ah de House. Dey have moved ah step beyond simple Division to Long Division wid larger numbers, greater separation, lines ah communication wider, men withdraw dey breath from each other, like last Choose-dey in Par-liar-men refuse to get up and debate de Budge-it.

My over-standing of ah Budge-it De-bait, is dat de Guv-ah-mint side will account to de Nation what dey did foh de past year, and de Awe-position will respond, and Short Division and Long Division will go on de ram-page! But dis will go on till every man has his say. On Choose-dey, after de Leader ah de Leader ah de Awe-position had replied, and members, specifically Ministers ah Guv-ah-mint refused to get up and give an account of dey stewardship, it was in de place ah de Speaker ah de House to call on de Pry-minister/General/Leader ah de House to invite his foot shoulders to so do. Dat alone tells us how badly de country is Divided.

Multiplication not Division is what dis country needs. Dem men should be dismissed and will be dismissed in due course. Mammy Joshua had ah fare-foh-hit line: “Time longer dan twine!” But Mother Priam topped it all wid:” It won’t be always so!”

AH WOULD CLIMB AH MOUNTAIN

Ah got to big up my nephew Clint MacLean, ah Canadian who is visiting his mom, my baby sister Judy, ah Vincent-shun/Canadian Citizen now back home. She fancies herself as my most beautiful sister, ah claim ah cannot refute, since she is my only sister. Clint is an artist, special-lies-in Aerography (air-brushing and stencil technique), he is very good and runs his own business. Like my sister, he too fancies himself as some kind ah ‘Romeo’ and ‘Juliette’ would be his girlfriend, Christa Worthman. Wid ah surname like Worthman, my nephew is in trouble. While here, Clint and Christa went to Karaoke at Colonarie way dey heard de local Kaiso: “Ah would climb ah mountain, just foh she to see!” Ah don’t know if Christa challenged him, but from dat moment, he insisted dat he wants to climb La Soufriere with Christa, who is also Canadian, from Newfoundland. Word got around dat Clint was secretly planning to “Climb Every Mountain” just to prove his love to Christa, and all of ah sudden, ah tour party headed by Collin, wid Melany and Robert and others agonized ah trip to climb La Soufriere last Sunday. Christa made de summit in good stride, but Clint didn’t do as well, he crept to de top on his knees foh de last fifty yards. While there on bended knees, he beckoned Christa to come close, den he reached his back pocket and like ah magician, pulled out ah die-man ring and proposed to his sweetheart of seven long years.

Standing at de edge wid de crater waiting behind her, poor Christa had no choice dan to accept. Lie-Za met Clint and she says dat Clint got all his romantic genes from his uncle. I too modest to comment. And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

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