A tenure characterised by inaction – Part 1

Dec 01, 2013 AFC Column, Features / Columnists

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By Trevor Williams MP

In recent months the light of scrutiny has been shone with increasing intensity on Guyana’s Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony. It has been examining his performance primarily in the area of the literary arts. While significant, it is one pillar of the monumental failures of Minister Anthony, whose portfolio includes ‘youth’ and ‘sport’ along with other branches of ‘culture’.
In this column, we examine Dr. Anthony’s record of (non-)achievement in sport, particularly with regard to what can only be described as his Ministry’s disregard for the achievements of our sporting icons.

The Minister seems to have as his modus operandi, operating under the radar while being a poster boy for inaction. He essentially holds the youths of Guyana, sports in Guyana and culture in Guyana to ransom, and in a state of stagnation. It is unjust and unfair, and the time has come for his non-performance to be brought to the attention of the public.
With regard to recognition of achievement in sport, Minister Anthony, in the AFC’s opinion, has been operating in flagrant disregard of the Head of State, His Excellency Donald Ramotar.
President Ramotar, in 2012 asserted the following: “…sport is an important element of national development. I do not consider it an incidental element of human existence and so we have always given high priority to the development of sport…”
Further, His Excellency, speaking in March 2012 at the National Sports Commission Awards Ceremony, said the following: “I hope that when your (sportsmen and women) better days are past that the cheers will not be silenced, as I am bothered by the fact that often when the glory fades and fame recedes many of our athletes are too easily forgotten and ignored. This is a sad indictment. No national champion deserves to be treated this way.”
A good starting reference point would be to examine how our sister CARICOM nations treat with their sporting icons.
The government of Jamaica named Usain Bolt and Courtney Walsh ‘Ambassadors-at-large’. Sir Garfield Sobers is an official living legend of Barbados and the players pavilion at the world famous Kensington Oval is named after him, so too a roundabout and the Sir Garfield Sobers Sports Complex. Brian Lara was named Sports Ambassador by the government of Trinidad and Tobago. He is also Global Ambassador of the government-owned Caribbean Airlines and has a prominent promenade in Port of Spain named after him. The Trinidadian also has a cricket stadium (though it is to be completed) named in his honour.
Sir Vivian Richards is a living legend of Antigua and Barbuda. His name adorns the island’s premier cricketing facility. A statue is to be soon unveiled in his honour.
Kirani James has been appointed by the government of Grenada as a Sports Tourism Ambassador. Dwight Yorke has had a stadium named after him and he has been named as Global Brand Ambassador by the Tobago House of Assembly. In September this year, the government of St Vincent and the Grenadines named West Indies Women opening batswoman Juliana Nero as a Sporting Ambassador. Darren Sammy was appointed an ambassador by the government of St Lucia. Shane Shillingford has been appointed Goodwill Ambassador by the Commonwealth of Dominica. Daren Ganga was appointed Sports Ambassador by the government of Trinidad and Tobago.
There is hardly a single sporting legend in these Caribbean territories who is not engaged by government directly at some level, through a defined programme, to raise the profile of their respective sport nationally, doing promotional work (including for tourism purposes) and utilizing their skills and stature in giving back to their sport, particularly at the youth levels.
What do we have in Guyana?
Clive Lloyd had a drive named after him by the PNC administration. The Georgetown Cricket Club, a private institution, named a stand at Bourda after the legendary captain. The Mayor and City Council honoured Shivnarine Chanderpaul by naming a section of a street after the batting maestro. What has the PPP done? What programme has Dr. Anthony pioneered to recognize our sporting icons?
Cricket is the national sport, and in addition to Lloyd and Chanderpaul, Guyana possesses a wide cadre of living legends – Rohan Kanhai, Lance Gibbs, Alvin Kallicharran. There are other great names of the game – Basil Butcher, Joe Solomon, Stephen Camacho (his cricketing and incomparable administrative feats taken into consideration). Roy Fredericks, another legend has left us. Off the cricket field, Guyana has two iconic sons in the field of cricket commentary – Joseph ‘Reds’ Perreira – and cricket photography – Colin ‘Jah Bones’ Cumberbatch.
As a further illustration, another sport which has allowed Guyana to feature prominently on the world stage is boxing.
There are world champions and prominent boxers whose names appear to have been exorcised from the lexicon of the Minister of Sport and his ministry. What of Andrew ‘Six Head’ Lewis? Michael Parris? Terrence Alli? Andrew Murray? ‘Vicious’ Vivian Harris? Wayne ‘Big Truck’ Braithwaite?
What can Minister Anthony provide as evidence that under his stewardship any of our national sporting icons has been duly honoured for service to nation?
These famous names open doors at every level around the world, yet not a single one of them has been named as a sporting ambassador, goodwill ambassador or ambassador of any kind by the Government of Guyana. It is Minister Anthony’s direct remit to pilot initiatives to recognize these stalwarts. The Head of State has publicly urged this. Dr. Anthony flagrantly ignores his own boss.
Such is Minister Anthony’s defiance that the names of our famous sons and daughters cannot even be found on the sport ministry’s website – www.mcys.gov.gy. There is no list of our icons, no biographic data, no record of their achievement. There is nothing. It is as if they did not and do not exist.
The website’s most significant purpose appears to be government and party propaganda. There are news articles quoting the minister extensively and messages from the Director of Sport.
It features with unmistakable prominence former President Bharrat Jagdeo and Minister Anthony hogging the limelight, posing with the Golden Jaguars in their time of glory. The Minister, his Permanent Secretary and other minions and President Ramotar feature prominently photographically. One cannot find a single photograph of any of the sporting icons.
With justification, there are many who consider it a travesty that the Guyana National Stadium has not been properly and appropriately named the Clive Lloyd National Stadium. Lloyd is one of the most iconic names in cricket globally. It would appear though that in the eyes of those who are at the wheel of the executive of Guyana, Lloyd does not qualify for such a national honour. On what grounds, one is only left to speculate.
Within the Guyana National Stadium facility there can be little doubt that the Players Pavilion ought to be named in honour of Roy Fredericks. Stands should be named after Kanhai, Gibbs, Chanderpaul and Kallicharran. Butcher, Solomon, Carl Hooper, Roger Harper ought to be honoured similarly as well.
The conclusion is unmistakable – Dr. Frank Anthony’s tenure as Minister of Sport has been one characterised by a tragedy of inaction. He has exhibited contempt in strategically ignoring our sporting icons. The Alliance For Change believes that His Excellency Donald Ramotar is obliged to call Minister Anthony to account. Failure to do so would mean that President Ramotar too, like Minister Anthony, would be guilty of dereliction of duty.
In Part 2, we will examine Minister Anthony’s failures in the areas of music and the performing arts.

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