By Raffique Shah
March 04, 2007
With cricket World Cup fever gripping the Caribbean as of this weekend, maybe-just maybe-we’d get a respite from the politicians and the criminals, if only for a month or so. But you never can tell what these dubious breeds would come up with to steal our attention away from the galaxy of cricketing stars in our presence and the excitement of matches to come. It takes one mindless act by some gun-toting or cutlass-wielding jackass to cast the entire region in a bad light on the global stage. Or worse, some stupid statement by a publicity craving politician to stir up a storm, abusing his or her rank to paint a horrible picture of the country.
I mention one example: the row that erupted last week over police officers not being paid special allowances over the period of the World Cup has already hit the Cricket Info website. The most popular Internet meeting point for cricket fans worldwide reported that local cops may withdraw policing the matches staged in Trinidad. That story will have been read by tens of millions of people who will have concluded either our Police Service is staffed by mercenaries or the oil-rich government of the country is stingy to the point of endangering lives at an event of this magnitude.
Negative stories like this and the seemingly senseless actions that prompt them make the country look like a backward banana republic. The question as to whether or not our police officers should be paid special allowances for extra duties they will be called upon to render during the World Cup should have been resolved months ago. We know our police officers were sorely overworked during the recent Carnival festivities. We know, too, they will be made to work very hard over the next few weeks. But surely their association could have intervened early.
The ICC, which “owns” the World Cup, is a cash-rich sporting body, much like the FIFA and the IAAF. Since that body is virtually dictating everything that needs to be put in place for the event, it should be made to pay something out of its bulging coffers for services rendered. When the West Indies Cricket Board, with backing from regional governments, lobbied to stage the event, they should have ironed out these matters. It seems they did not examine the fine print, so now taxpayers are being forced to pay for expenses incurred while the WICB and ICC reap the financial benefits.
I should add that while police officers demand that they be paid special allowances for the extended hours they work, military personnel who shoulder an even heavier burden do not know what “overtime pay” means. Their salaries and allowances are fixed. Those who enjoy the benefits of a low-crime Carnival, and hopefully a no-crime World Cup, must give thanks to the men and women in uniform who make it possible.
As for politicians making irresponsible statements intended to foment strife and divisiveness, what can be done? Maybe it’s better to ignore them and hope their words dissipate in the wind much the way hot air does. Jack Warner used a recent forum to question the exclusion of Daren Ganga from the West Indies team. Many nationals of this country are peeved over this, but now is not the time to gripe over the selectors’ choices. If the team fails to perform and we get booted out of the tournament through poor choices, we’ll deal with the selectors later on.
Now is not the time to vent such matters. Ganga, who has displayed great talent and inspired leadership, may be hurting. But he is wise enough to stay mum on the issue. When Warner stated a few years ago that “Dwight Yorke and Russell Latapy will never again play for T&T”, was he the selector-general of this country’s football team? In fact, in many instances in football, those who know the game well have questioned team selections.
But Warner made it clear that not the fans, not the players, not even the Government could tell him “who to pick”. Except for seeking political mileage, why else would he now question the omission of Ganga?
Finally, residents and business owners who live or operate on streets in the designated “red zone” are crying foul. We understand their plight. But it’s for a very limited time, so the inconvenience or losses (always higher than what they declare as profits to Inland Revenue) suffered should be shouldered with grace, not griping. Do they know how many more than them suffer similarly during Carnival? In St James, the cultural and liming capital of the country, businesses lose extensively every time the streets are cordoned off for hosay, sundry festivals and events.
Let us not be “spoilt sports” at this eleventh hour. Let us instead be good hosts and most of all show the cricketing world that we can not only take licks, but we can share blows all the way to the finals.
Once again, I agree with Raffique Shah. It is an opportunity to show the world what we are made of; but remember the “smiling Negroes” and “rag-tag Indian courts” of English literature, as well as the “C” word of Shooting An Elephant by Mathew Arnold,, and the N word of Joseph Conrad’s novel. Our contact with cricket came by force. wherever the British led, fled might be a better word, because many of them were ecscaping terrible conditions in Britain, they took cricket and slavery with them. The story of cricket becoming a game of the dark skinned races of the world is the same as the story of “steelbands cannot play classical music”, that is, the story of racism.
I ask therefore that all serious Caribbean hosts of cricket; governments and people, pause to remember the conditions under which these games were brought to the British Empire. Remember too, that March 26, is the day set aside by the United Nations to recognize the atrocity that was the Atlantic Slave Trade.
We rejoice in beating the English at their own games, but let us remember too, that world class cricketers could get visas to England at any time, ordinary brown people cannot. That is the legacy of both cricket(soccer too) and the slavery attitudes of the British Empire(Commonwealth).
We must never forget this, even as we score five hundred runs and pause for tea, grown by people in India, Assam, Burma and Ceylon, called “coolies” meaning unskilled laborers, and tea grown in Kenya, on lands alienated by force from the indigenous Kikuyu people.
In England, Tony Blair has expressed his regrets, and there is ongoing now, a march from Hull to London, of people chained together, to commemorate this awful legacy. The state of Virginia (USA)has expressed its sorrow over this, but some legislators refuse to vote for the motion, on the grounds that it may pave the way for claims of reparation. Let this Cricket World Cup remind us of inequalities where ever they exist, and that sportsmanship can help to break the chains.
This is why I agree with Mr. Manning’s stance on bidding for the World Cup. I don’t agree with the reason he gave. Perhaps it was a false reason (as Politicians are renowned for lying). These small islands simply do not have the infrastructure or room to accommodate the influx of visitors for such events. Grenada was wiped out by a hurricane but they are pushing ahead with plans and refused to loose any of their allocated matches (Perhaps in the hopes that this will jump start their tourist industry). We show our lack of ability in planning time and time again. Contract Teachers going months without contracts being renewed and paid, doctors’ contracts come to an end with no renewals in sight – why should it be any different with compensation to police officers who work extended hours during the world cup? Gov’t chooses to ignore what is one inch in front of their face and expect the public to accept it when they have failed the people.
It appears that some people like to sweep matters under the rug when there are people on the outside looking in. This is naive outlook. We will look ‘bad’ so we must pretend that certain issues do not exist. Being more concerned about how we appear in the Internatiol community is apparently more important than dealing with real problems. The international media will always be aware of what’s going on in Trinidad, one only has to go to any of the local newspapers websites or even this one.
Correction to my comment above. the Essay “Shooting An Elephant” was written by George Orwell, not Matthew Arnold. Interesting reading on colonial attitudes. Set in Burma
I guess so much for being gracious hosts. Tear gas in the Hilton hotel while 4 teams are staying there. Hope no one says the stories printed in the press or the supposed disgruntled workers did this to make Trinidad look bad. The fact is, Trinidad (and other Caribbean nations) are already at a disadvantage because of the way the more technologically developed contries view us so we have to work twice as hard to gain half the respect – and we don’t! So actions like this or reporting it via the media don’t make the country look bad, it just concretes the international perception of Trinidad that we are backward. Many Trinidadians are content to remain in the state they are yet they get mad when people refer to their county as a Banana Republic or 3rd World.
Attack makes world news
Yesterday’s tear-gas attack at the Hilton Trinidad quickly grabbed the attention of the hundreds of foreign journalists here for the Cricket World Cup, especially since four of the teams involved in the tournament, Pakistan, South Africa, Ireland and Canada, were staying at the hotel.
so true:
backward banana republic…
as much as we would like to boast of our industrial status, the world sees Trinidad and the Caribbean at large as was described in those three words. Travel people, the reality will sledge hammer you.
It matters most what we think of ourselves as west indians, and how much we respect ourselves….lets concentrate on that first and foremost…thanks…peace from Guyana.
We have been gracious hosts. Nobody left yet in a body bag, or a coffin. Imagine the coach of a losing team being strangled in his hotel room! ANd we busy downrating our country!