Omission of the dissidents is a mistake

Tue, Aug 25, '09

commentary by DAVID HINDS

The West Indies Cricket Board's decision to exclude the dissident players from the squad selected for the Champion's Trophy is a mistake. While some may be sympathetic to what is an obvious punishment, the larger objective of West Indies cricket should have taken precedence. In any case, if one is swayed by the need for punishment, the non-selection of the striking players for the one-dayers against Bangladesh, after they made themselves available, seems to me to be more than enough punishment.

the players are both victims and purveyors of a rampant individualism which cripples their ability to marry their skills to the needs and aspirations of the West Indian society. I don't know that their omission from the squad would trigger any new consciousness of their social responsibility. Rather, the WICB's decision may further alienate them. Not that I think they should be treated as patriots -- the abandonment of the nation that made them possible is the unkindest cut. Yet a nation that cannot forgive its wayward children is an unkind nation. In this regard the WICB's decision is equally unkind.

Further, how sensible it is to poke your finger in the eye of someone you are negotiating with and still expect them to conscientiously work for reconciliation? The WICB's action smacks of an organization that sees the WIPA and the players as historical enemies. This is a bad mistake. I am mindful that the WICB hierarchy felt the need to send a strong message to the players. But they might have been better placed to do that had they not been as culpable as the players in the systematic decline of our cricket culture and legacy.

Much has been said about the WICB's authoritarian mode of governance and incompetence -- the latter is a consequence of the former. Prime Minister Patterson's recent missive is yet another damning commentary on the sad state of the WICB. My own sense is that some individuals on the board mean well, but they seem to be handcuffed by the prevailing status-quo culture. It is that culture that needs to be fundamentally changed. Towards this end, Patterson's call for democratization of the governance structure is a perfect place to start. But there is no guarantee that that will lead to changed behavior.

There is some speculation that the WICB's decision was partly motivated by the need to reward the players who did not walk out on the West Indies. If this is true, it sends yet another wrong message. At least five of those players have already rewarded themselves by performing well on the field of play and some have displayed the kind all-round commitment we want to see in our players.

I am all for selecting players who can marry their skills to a sense of duty and commitment. But I am against wholesale exclusion based on the need to punish. As the Mighty Sparrow would say/sing "That's not the way to live."

* David Hinds lectures in Caribbean and African Diaspora Studies at Arizona State University in the USA. More of his writings can be found on GuyanaCaribbeanPolitics.com

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