Sarwan's Public Responsibility
Fri, Sep 5, '03
CARIBBEANCRICKET.COM EDITORIAL
When the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) identified 23-year-old Ramnaresh Sarwan as the future captain of the regional team, it was seen as a no-brainer. Since his teenage days as a child prodigy at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC), Sarwan has shown a level of intelligence and maturity reserved for a chosen few.
That's why news out of Guyana that the West Indies vice-captain is slated to appear in a weekend benefit match that unashamedly promotes racial tribalism and extremism comes as a shock to cricket fans around the Caribbean.
It is quite possible Sarwan and his handlers have been misled about the true nature of the 'Jahaji' cricket match, organised by the Guyana Indian Heritage Association (GIHA) and open only to players of East Indian descent from Berbice and Demerara. Not only is the game open only to Indo-Guyanese players but the umpiring, scoring and commentary will be managed exclusively by East Indians.
If he didn't know then, Sarwan must know by now that his duties as West Indies vice captain (and likely Guyana captain) debars him from participating in games of this nature. In 1984, Viv Richards paid the public relations price for his ill-advised statement that the West Indies was an "African team." Sarwan cannot afford such a mistake at this stage of his fledgling career.
The GIHA, which is unashamedly aligned to a political party with a race-driven agenda, has made a name for itself in Guyana and overseas as promoters of Indian heritage and culture. There's nothing wrong with that. But, when cultural promotion is cloaked with bigotry and hatred, the line has to be drawn.
In this day and age, with Guyana struggling to save itself from racially motivated anarchy, the inclusion of Sarwan (and other national players) in what is essentially a divisive exercise is mischievous and destructive.
The Indian Arrival Committee (IAC) in Guyana put it best when it described the promotion of an ethnically-exclusive sporting event as "myopic, anachronistic [and] anti-national." The game, the IAC declared, could "inflict psychological damage to the minds of young, impressionable and unsuspecting sportsmen."
Ricky Singh, an Indo-Guyanese proprietor of the Singh Sporting Goods cricket equipment store, went a step further in his condemnation of the game. "We're in the midst of healing from all the race problems and these idiots are putting up barriers. They are promoting tribalism when that's the last thing Guyana needs. The national players should immediately withdraw from this game," Singh declared.
Cricketers who represent a multi-racial country (and the wider region) have a responsibility that go beyond bat and ball. Sarwan is the biggest name in the match but he's not the only one. Narsingh Deonarine, Vishal and Krishna Arjune and Assad Fudadin are being mentioned in the advertisements.
Sarwan -- and the rest of the national players involved -- must immediately withdraw their services and distance themselves from the tribalism associated with this match. There really is no other option.
