Dear Editor,
I was speaking to some old friends, including my former boss who I worked with and we are worried that the Government is so short-sighted that they seem hell-bent on using sports as a football. If we are serious about healing and this talk of One Guyana, sport is the ideal vehicle but for some reason, we are so arrogant in that Ministry that we are missing golden opportunities. We sent our team to the Olympics in red, clearly to send a political message and the Minister said he has nothing to do with the identification of the colour but makes no excuse in a polarized society where red is associated with the ruling Party. A request to the Olympic Association Boss to explain how pure red was identified as the colour for our Guyana Olympic team, I was told that there has not even been the courtesy of an acknowledgement.
I recall when I worked as Mr. Green’s chauffeur, on a visit to Unity Village, Mahaica, we went to the home of Sonny Mohan, who told us that there was a lad in his area, who would spend hours playing cricket, but that he was short of first-class cricket gear. Sonny took us to the lad; Mr. Green put him in his vehicle and drove him to his residence in Lodge. Mr. Green supplied him with new cricket gear, he had just got in from the UK and instructed me to take him back to Mahaica. There was no thought of who or what he was, but years after it turned out that this lad was the famous and most reliable batsman in the West Indies Team, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, and so it was that Mr. Green, then Mayor, had that road off the Office of the President, renamed Shiv Chanderpaul Drive. There are other incidents where sports was used to bring our young people together.
I was told that efforts were made to have one of Mr. Green’s grandsons represent Guyana at swimming at the recently concluded CARIFTA games but the nephew of a prominent government person, now exercises influence and perhaps control of the Swimming Association. Why this offer to have the lad swim for Guyana found an enthusiasm is no secret. Apparently this initiative did not find favour with the ruling elite, even though for some time now you had sport personalities of Guyanese ancestry living abroad being asked to represent Guyana at the various International events. Maybe this lad’s name and family connection must have been the impediment.
I am told that this lad, E. Hamilton Stubbs-Green, represented Antigua at swimming in the CARIFTA Games in Barbados. In the junior category he won two golds, one silver, and one bronze. In swimming, the Guyana team came back empty handed. Sport, Culture and Education in general should have no political considerations. That is, if we wish to encourage our young people to do their best, irrespective of race, colour, creed or their parental political connections. I am upset that young Green could have brought glory and honour to Guyana at the CARIFTA Games.
Sincerely,
Eric Moseley MS
