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Sports club executives cite discrimination as Better Hope NDC accused of impartiality
Subscribing to the long held belief that sport has the ability to productively engage young people and therefore is the catalyst to their development, several residents of the Diamond EBD community convened approximately three years ago and formed the Eletra Sports Club (ESC) aimed at creating opportunities for the youths in that community.
Devika Gobin (backing camera) attempts to convince this gentleman (flop hat), who claimed to have the authority to deny them the privilege of utilizing the ground, in the presence of some of the displaced youths.
Headed by Club Coordinator, Devika Gobin, the group organized several events in that East Bank community and those executives were so heartened by the results of the Diamond entity that they decided to expand to other communities. Subsequently, one year after coming into existence, the ESC ventured onto the East Coast Demerara and formed a similar club in the Better Hope area, utilizing the community centre ground to engage in football and cricket matches as well as other wholesome extra-curricular activities.
Things were going fine until recently when Ms Gobin said she encountered several problems with officials from the Better Hope Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) that is currently hindering them from playing on the ground. Ms Gobin claimed that in attempting to resolve the issue, she has been verbally abused by members of the National Democratic Council (NDC) and other groups and was also the victim of racial slurs.
“We went to the ground to practice shortly after receiving permission and was accosted by one of the councillors who wanted to know if we belonged to a certain (political) party,” lamented Ms Gobin. She said that she was informed that unless they were members of that political party, they could not use the ground. Consequently, Ms Gobin said that she complained to the overseer, Vishal Tickapersaud, who promised to address the issue. Subsequently, the executive of the Eletra Sports Club received confirmation after attending a meeting of councillors of the NDC and those officials issued permission for the ESC to use the facility, uninhibited, for cricket and football practice on Thursdays.
Notwithstanding this directive, Ms Gobin complained that when the members of the ESC arrived for practice sessions on the stipulated day, they were denied permission to use the facility by a group that occupied the ground and claimed that they have all rights to do so.
The issue occurred approximately two years ago and after deciding that she was not receiving justice, an aggrieved Ms. Gobin decided that apparently the issue could only be rectified when placed in the public domain and subsequently approached Kaieteur Sport for intervention and possible mediation.
Kaieteur Sport visited the venue last Wednesday to engage the principals of the NDC. But even before doing so, this journalist ventured onto the field which was occupied by a group out of the Beterverwagting community. One of the individuals assumed the role of spokesman but refused to divulge his name. However, he said that his group utilizes the ground from Monday to Wednesday and they have every right to do so since the ground serves the surrounding communities on the East Coast and not residents from the East Bank. He was then informed that those utilizing the facility were also East Coast residents but he remained adamant that his boys were not vacating the field.
The man then suggested to the ESC executives that they could have utilized the hard court situated in the western corner of the field since they were just a small inconsequential group. Ms Gobin said that the area indicated was inadequate and she even reminded the man that they had sought and received permission to utilize the ground, all to no avail.
Subsequently, Kaieteur Sport re-engaged Mr Tickapersaud who admitted that the ESC was given written permission to utilize the facilities. However, when told of the dispute between the complaining group and the Beterverwagting team, he said that there was nothing that he could have done about it. He suggested that this reporter engage the chairman of the NDC, Jagnarine Singh. The latter individual was contacted by phone and he said that he was in Georgetown. He also confirmed that the ESC was given permission to utilize the ground. He then suggested that this reporter meet with him the following day so that he (Mr Singh) could clear up the issue. Since then his phone has been going to voice mail.
Meanwhile, the members of the ESC are contemplating their next move while their young charges remain idle, prime candidates for immoral and illicit activities.
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