Dear Editor,
I write in support of calls to the authorities in Guyana to honour Mr Shivnarine Chanderpaul with the Order of Excellence of Guyana (OE). It is high time that the appointments committee act to fulfil the widespread sentiment of the people that Shivnarine Chanderpaul be given the country’s highest civilian award at the earliest opportunity.
Mr Chanderpaul is currently the most deserving person for this award not only because of his well-known accomplishments in national and international cricket, but also because he has placed Guyana on the map of the world. Chanderpaul is currently the International Cricket Council’s Cricketer of the Year, he has recently surpassed Sir Garfield Sobers on the runs-scoring tally, will soon pass Sir Vivian Richards, and will then take on Brian Lara’s huge lead. In the match against Sri Lanka he scored 10 runs (a 4 and a 6) in the last two balls to win the game for the West Indies, a historical achievement. The man has saved his team-mates from shame many times on the cricket field, and with 20 Test centuries and an average of just under 50 runs per Test match, Shivnarine Chanderpaul will surely add to his tally and generate more curiosity about his native land – Guyana.
We know that political affiliations trump everything else in Guyana, and many have come to view awardees with cynicism. All of the people who have been given the OE have been politicians. During PNC rule the awardees were mostly PNC officials and since the PPP came, mostly PPP officials. It is high time the contributions of deserving non-politicians be dignified with the nation’s highest award.
While Shivnarine Chanderpaul ought to get the OE, after him there are other deserving non-politicans such as people who have created businesses in Guyana and generated employment who should be considered. The name Toolsie Persaud comes to mind. People in other fields of work must also be considered as well. The late Professor NP Bishun who returned to Guyana and served at the UG Biology Department till his passing should also be considered. He was a man of tremendous humility, but few people knew that he made pioneering discoveries in the field of medical cytogenetics and has published extensively in this area of scientific endeavour. To this day Dr Bishun’s work is cited by scientists all over the world, in particular in the field of cancer research. I am sure there are other deserving great souls.
Yours faithfully,
Somdat Mahabir
