Dr Ernest Hilaire, chief executive officer of the West Indies Cricket Board, has publicly confirmed that the members of the West Indies Cricket team possess less formal education than the members of any other Test team. Why should anybody take offense at this statement? Indeed, what Dr Hilaire is doing, albeit unwittingly, is paying tribute to one of the great strengths of West Indies cricket!
The truth of the matter is that cricket is almost exclusively the game of the social elite in every single Test playing country, with the admirable exception of the West Indies! In England, the original home of cricket, football is the game of the working-class, rugby is the game of middle class, and cricket is the game of the upper-class elite. In such former British colonies as India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the highly intellectual game of cricket is the preserve of the wealthy, leisure class. And in South Africa, cricket is the game not just of the elite, but of the still narrower "white" elite.
It is only in the West Indies that the masses of working class people have been able to take hold of the game of cricket and throughly democratise it. As a result, the West Indies Cricket team, since at least the 1950's, has tended to be dominated by young working-class men, who, in spite of their undoubted mental sharpness, were less likely to have access to tertiary level education than their wealthy, elite counterparts in England, New Zealand, India and Pakistan.
Cricket is one of the most intellectual of games, and requires of its practitioners a capacity for sustained deep, sophisticated thought and calculation. And from the early 1960's right through to the 1990's, the elementary and secondary school educated black and Indian working-class young men of the West Indies demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were the intellectual superiors of the wealthy, university trained cricketers of all of the other Test playing nations.
If therefore we ever come to a stage in which the West Indies Cricket team is dominated by university graduates, let such a development not be a function of social elitism, but rather, the ineluctable consequence of having established a socialist society in which all the sons and daughters of the working-class are guaranteed access to tertiary education.
Dr Hilaire also made the very noteworthy disclosure that almost half of the cricketers on the West Indies under 19 team could barely read or write!
But what seems to have escaped Dr Hilaire is the very obvious fact that these illiterate young men would have competed against and bested thousands of highly literate and well educated young cricketers in order to make it onto the West Indies under 19 team! Furthermore, these semi-literate West Indian youth cricketers recently competed against the cream of the youth cricketing world and acquitted themselves extremely well. It is clear therefore that these illiterate young cricketers possess substantial innate mental and intellectual capacities, and are therefore not incapable of being taught to read and write!
The question we should therefore be asking ourselves is - why do we remain so content with a deeply flawed educational system that is persistently failing tens of thousands of innately talented working-class boys and girls?
The culprits in all of this are not the young cricketers - not even the underachieving ones who currently play for the senior West Indies Test team. Rather, the real culprits are to be found in a self-centred, decrepit, visionless leadership class, that populates virtually every institution of "official society" in the Caribbean, inclusive of the West Indies Cricket Board.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
'Bloc Against Crime'
Barbados and the rest of the Caribbean are in danger of being destroyed by crime! We have therefore developed the ‘Bloc Against Crime’ - a collective plan that has a role in it for all major institutions of society. And we now present components of it for your consideration.
The function of the family
is vital! As the Ashanti proverb says, ‘the ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people’. For the community to heal it’s ‘wounds, the families of the nation must get involved to end the violence. Our children need to see role models all around them who can inspire them to become successful citizens with strong Christian and other positive values. And this must begin in the home and family
Civil participation is the foundation of democracy. The culture of civic participation must therefore be restored to the level of vibrancy that was evident in Barbados in the 1960's if we are to be successful in our efforts to stop the increasing violence in our homes, schools, workplaces and communities. Civic education is needed to prepare people, especially the youth, to carry out their duty as citizens and to help them to understand the importance of political participation. Civic education also helps the youth to understand that electing a government is not about creating ‘election beggars’, but rather , is about participating in the political process and understanding why one is choosing to vote for a particular person.
Professional sportsmen and women
also have a role to play. Not only do they have access to the people at the top levels of society, but they are also looked up to by the youth of our nation. These persons are therefore in an extremely powerful position to make a positive impact on the youth of the nation, and to steer them away from violence and crime.
The business and corporate community
should also have a strong interest in improving the quality of life for every one in the society. Business leaders in our communities have a responsibility to impact the violence by providing and creating economic opportunities that will improve the conditions of those who are badly disadvantaged. The business sector has the responsibility to set goals that include the development, implementation and maintenance of community-based businesses, as well as employment initiatives that will deliver a decent "liveable wage" to their employees.
In living up to its responsibility to the community, the business sector should seriously consider coming together to establish a "Community Supermarket" that will provide the poorest segment of our community with the basic necessities, at the lowest possible prices. This will create employment and also relieve some of the social pressure that is currently leading to violence and crime.
The recognition of the value of spiritual development within each human being is essential to the building of relationships that can ultimately reduce crime and violence, by increasing self respect and respect for and tolerance of others. Practicing spiritual disciplines can help people, especially youth, to understand the meaning of the suffering and frustrations of others, thereby enabling them to better control and channel anger.
Education is the foundation for financial success, the expansion of one’s mind and ability and the making of responsible citizens. When one looks at the history of our people, one can discern that lack of education has often led to the absence of hope, to wasted lives, violence, incarceration, and even death. The entire educational system, from pre-school to university, must be held accountable and made to promote a conducive environment for learning at the mass level.
The function of the family
is vital! As the Ashanti proverb says, ‘the ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people’. For the community to heal it’s ‘wounds, the families of the nation must get involved to end the violence. Our children need to see role models all around them who can inspire them to become successful citizens with strong Christian and other positive values. And this must begin in the home and family
Civil participation is the foundation of democracy. The culture of civic participation must therefore be restored to the level of vibrancy that was evident in Barbados in the 1960's if we are to be successful in our efforts to stop the increasing violence in our homes, schools, workplaces and communities. Civic education is needed to prepare people, especially the youth, to carry out their duty as citizens and to help them to understand the importance of political participation. Civic education also helps the youth to understand that electing a government is not about creating ‘election beggars’, but rather , is about participating in the political process and understanding why one is choosing to vote for a particular person.
Professional sportsmen and women
also have a role to play. Not only do they have access to the people at the top levels of society, but they are also looked up to by the youth of our nation. These persons are therefore in an extremely powerful position to make a positive impact on the youth of the nation, and to steer them away from violence and crime.
The business and corporate community
should also have a strong interest in improving the quality of life for every one in the society. Business leaders in our communities have a responsibility to impact the violence by providing and creating economic opportunities that will improve the conditions of those who are badly disadvantaged. The business sector has the responsibility to set goals that include the development, implementation and maintenance of community-based businesses, as well as employment initiatives that will deliver a decent "liveable wage" to their employees.
In living up to its responsibility to the community, the business sector should seriously consider coming together to establish a "Community Supermarket" that will provide the poorest segment of our community with the basic necessities, at the lowest possible prices. This will create employment and also relieve some of the social pressure that is currently leading to violence and crime.
The recognition of the value of spiritual development within each human being is essential to the building of relationships that can ultimately reduce crime and violence, by increasing self respect and respect for and tolerance of others. Practicing spiritual disciplines can help people, especially youth, to understand the meaning of the suffering and frustrations of others, thereby enabling them to better control and channel anger.
Education is the foundation for financial success, the expansion of one’s mind and ability and the making of responsible citizens. When one looks at the history of our people, one can discern that lack of education has often led to the absence of hope, to wasted lives, violence, incarceration, and even death. The entire educational system, from pre-school to university, must be held accountable and made to promote a conducive environment for learning at the mass level.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Lesson from Jamaica
Tennyson Joseph
Friday, May 28th 2010
THE Caribbean has watched in bewilderment as the Jamaica government slid into crisis over Prime Minister Bruce Golding’s involvement in efforts to block the extradition to the United States of an alleged gun and drug runner, Christopher ’Dudus’’ Coke.
Emerging first as a disagreement with the US on the ’legality’’ of the extradition of Coke, the situation has since descended into an all-out war between the security forces and the organised criminal gangs in Golding’s constituency determined to protect their ’don’’.
As this is being written, the reports are that six policemen have been shot, and two have died. The gravity of the situation cannot be understated, particularly since it has brought to the fore the deep links between the political directorate and the organised criminal elements of Jamaica.
The link between crime and politics has now been crudely exposed. The international dimension has only served to exacerbate the difficulties for Jamaica.
Before, however, the rest of the Caribbean begins to shrug the problem off as a Jamaican problem, we should all take careful note of similar trends in Caribbean politics.
We have not yet seen the emergence of ’garrison constituencies’’, but we have had too many examples of the criminalisation of the state for us to be comfortable.
On top of all this is evidence of organised gang activity, linked to a growing gun and drug trade, which have taken root in many urban constituencies across the Caribbean.
Indeed the Eastern Caribbean differs from Jamaica in degree, but not in kind.
Since the end of the ideologically-based politics of the 1970s to the mid-1980s, politics in the Caribbean has tended to be fought along lines largely revolving around the material comfort of voters, state handouts to citizens, and contracts for large and small public works.
The politics of money has replaced the politics of ideas, freedom, democracy, sovereignty and national self-determination. In this context, men of ideas, skill, talent, honesty and true ability count for very little.
A new genre of politician, whose skills set is no different from that of the petty thief and average con man has emerged. It is such persons whom voters now find attractive, and it is such men who they swear to defend to their death.
In this context vote buying and auctioning, particularly among the urban poor youth on the block, is now a common practice. Voting on principle has been replaced by voting for money.
A clear sign of the confusion of the impact of the new value system on the attitudes of Caribbean voters was revealed during the airing of CBC TV’s The Peoples’ Business last Sunday.
During that programme, several callers tended to interpret the ’Dudus’’ Coke affair as a sovereignty issue in which the internal affairs of the Caribbean needed to be defended against US interference.
However, whilst it is true that the history of the US subversion of Caribbean sovereignty remains a sensitive issue for many Caribbean people, it was interesting that many of the callers seemed to want to look past the allegations of criminality which led to the extradition request in the first place.
There have been several breaches of Caribbean sovereignty in the recent past by the US to which Caribbean leaders have responded only with silence or acquiescence.
In light of this, the energy and passion with which Golding sought to defend the rights of Coke, a wanted criminal with a deep power base in his constituency, reveals much of the new directions in Caribbean politics.
Given the pervasive nature of this new value system, it is clear that the Caribbean has travelled a long way down towards the Jamaica situation.
The region should remember, however, that politics is a one-way street. Once we go too far down the wrong way, it is extremely difficult to reverse course.
The Jamaica situation, bad as it is, now presents us with a chance to stop the rot.
It is a lesson that civil society will either embrace, or be damned by future generations for their failure to do so. History is paying studious attention.
- Tennyson Joseph is a lecturer in political science at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados.
Friday, May 28th 2010
THE Caribbean has watched in bewilderment as the Jamaica government slid into crisis over Prime Minister Bruce Golding’s involvement in efforts to block the extradition to the United States of an alleged gun and drug runner, Christopher ’Dudus’’ Coke.
Emerging first as a disagreement with the US on the ’legality’’ of the extradition of Coke, the situation has since descended into an all-out war between the security forces and the organised criminal gangs in Golding’s constituency determined to protect their ’don’’.
As this is being written, the reports are that six policemen have been shot, and two have died. The gravity of the situation cannot be understated, particularly since it has brought to the fore the deep links between the political directorate and the organised criminal elements of Jamaica.
The link between crime and politics has now been crudely exposed. The international dimension has only served to exacerbate the difficulties for Jamaica.
Before, however, the rest of the Caribbean begins to shrug the problem off as a Jamaican problem, we should all take careful note of similar trends in Caribbean politics.
We have not yet seen the emergence of ’garrison constituencies’’, but we have had too many examples of the criminalisation of the state for us to be comfortable.
On top of all this is evidence of organised gang activity, linked to a growing gun and drug trade, which have taken root in many urban constituencies across the Caribbean.
Indeed the Eastern Caribbean differs from Jamaica in degree, but not in kind.
Since the end of the ideologically-based politics of the 1970s to the mid-1980s, politics in the Caribbean has tended to be fought along lines largely revolving around the material comfort of voters, state handouts to citizens, and contracts for large and small public works.
The politics of money has replaced the politics of ideas, freedom, democracy, sovereignty and national self-determination. In this context, men of ideas, skill, talent, honesty and true ability count for very little.
A new genre of politician, whose skills set is no different from that of the petty thief and average con man has emerged. It is such persons whom voters now find attractive, and it is such men who they swear to defend to their death.
In this context vote buying and auctioning, particularly among the urban poor youth on the block, is now a common practice. Voting on principle has been replaced by voting for money.
A clear sign of the confusion of the impact of the new value system on the attitudes of Caribbean voters was revealed during the airing of CBC TV’s The Peoples’ Business last Sunday.
During that programme, several callers tended to interpret the ’Dudus’’ Coke affair as a sovereignty issue in which the internal affairs of the Caribbean needed to be defended against US interference.
However, whilst it is true that the history of the US subversion of Caribbean sovereignty remains a sensitive issue for many Caribbean people, it was interesting that many of the callers seemed to want to look past the allegations of criminality which led to the extradition request in the first place.
There have been several breaches of Caribbean sovereignty in the recent past by the US to which Caribbean leaders have responded only with silence or acquiescence.
In light of this, the energy and passion with which Golding sought to defend the rights of Coke, a wanted criminal with a deep power base in his constituency, reveals much of the new directions in Caribbean politics.
Given the pervasive nature of this new value system, it is clear that the Caribbean has travelled a long way down towards the Jamaica situation.
The region should remember, however, that politics is a one-way street. Once we go too far down the wrong way, it is extremely difficult to reverse course.
The Jamaica situation, bad as it is, now presents us with a chance to stop the rot.
It is a lesson that civil society will either embrace, or be damned by future generations for their failure to do so. History is paying studious attention.
- Tennyson Joseph is a lecturer in political science at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados.
A "BLOC" AGAINST CRIME
Barbados and the rest of the Caribbean are in danger of being destroyed by crime! We have therefore developed the ‘Bloc Against Crime’ - a collective plan that has a role in it for all major institutions of society. And we now present components of it for your consideration.
The function of the family
is vital! As the Ashanti proverb says, ‘the ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people’. For the community to heal it’s ‘wounds, the families of the nation must get involved to end the violence. Our children need to see role models all around them who can inspire them to become successful citizens with strong Christian and other positive values. And this must begin in the home and family
Civil participation
is the foundation of democracy. The culture of civic participation must therefore be restored to the level of vibrancy that was evident in Barbados in the 1960's if we are to be successful in our efforts to stop the increasing violence in our homes, schools, workplaces and communities. Civic education is needed to prepare people, especially the youth, to carry out their duty as citizens and to help them to understand the importance of political participation. Civic education also helps the youth to understand that electing a government is not about creating ‘election beggars’, but rather , is about participating in the political process and understanding why one is choosing to vote for a particular person.
Professional sportsmen and women
also have a role to play. Not only do they have access to the people at the top levels of society, but they are also looked up to by the youth of our nation. These persons are therefore in an extremely powerful position to make a positive impact on the youth of the nation, and to steer them away from violence and crime.
The business and corporate community
should also have a strong interest in improving the quality of life for every one in the society. Business leaders in our communities have a responsibility to impact the violence by providing and creating economic opportunities that will improve the conditions of those who are badly disadvantaged. The business sector has the responsibility to set goals that include the development, implementation and maintenance of community-based businesses, as well as employment initiatives that will deliver a decent "liveable wage" to their employees.
In living up to its responsibility to the community, the business sector should seriously consider coming together to establish a "Community Supermarket" that will provide the poorest segment of our community with the basic necessities, at the lowest possible prices. This will create employment and also relieve some of the social pressure that is currently leading to violence and crime.
The recognition of the value of spiritual development within each human being is essential to the building of relationships that can ultimately reduce crime and violence, by increasing self respect and respect for and tolerance of others. Practicing spiritual disciplines can help people, especially youth, to understand the meaning of the suffering and frustrations of others, thereby enabling them to better control and channel anger.
Education
is the foundation for financial success, the expansion of one’s mind and ability and the making of responsible citizens. When one looks at the history of our people, one can discern that lack of education has often led to the absence of hope, to wasted lives, violence, incarceration, and even death. The entire educational system, from pre-school to university, must be held accountable and made to promote a conducive environment for learning at the mass level.
Additional components of the plan will be laid out in future columns.
The function of the family
is vital! As the Ashanti proverb says, ‘the ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people’. For the community to heal it’s ‘wounds, the families of the nation must get involved to end the violence. Our children need to see role models all around them who can inspire them to become successful citizens with strong Christian and other positive values. And this must begin in the home and family
Civil participation
is the foundation of democracy. The culture of civic participation must therefore be restored to the level of vibrancy that was evident in Barbados in the 1960's if we are to be successful in our efforts to stop the increasing violence in our homes, schools, workplaces and communities. Civic education is needed to prepare people, especially the youth, to carry out their duty as citizens and to help them to understand the importance of political participation. Civic education also helps the youth to understand that electing a government is not about creating ‘election beggars’, but rather , is about participating in the political process and understanding why one is choosing to vote for a particular person.
Professional sportsmen and women
also have a role to play. Not only do they have access to the people at the top levels of society, but they are also looked up to by the youth of our nation. These persons are therefore in an extremely powerful position to make a positive impact on the youth of the nation, and to steer them away from violence and crime.
The business and corporate community
should also have a strong interest in improving the quality of life for every one in the society. Business leaders in our communities have a responsibility to impact the violence by providing and creating economic opportunities that will improve the conditions of those who are badly disadvantaged. The business sector has the responsibility to set goals that include the development, implementation and maintenance of community-based businesses, as well as employment initiatives that will deliver a decent "liveable wage" to their employees.
In living up to its responsibility to the community, the business sector should seriously consider coming together to establish a "Community Supermarket" that will provide the poorest segment of our community with the basic necessities, at the lowest possible prices. This will create employment and also relieve some of the social pressure that is currently leading to violence and crime.
The recognition of the value of spiritual development within each human being is essential to the building of relationships that can ultimately reduce crime and violence, by increasing self respect and respect for and tolerance of others. Practicing spiritual disciplines can help people, especially youth, to understand the meaning of the suffering and frustrations of others, thereby enabling them to better control and channel anger.
Education
is the foundation for financial success, the expansion of one’s mind and ability and the making of responsible citizens. When one looks at the history of our people, one can discern that lack of education has often led to the absence of hope, to wasted lives, violence, incarceration, and even death. The entire educational system, from pre-school to university, must be held accountable and made to promote a conducive environment for learning at the mass level.
Additional components of the plan will be laid out in future columns.
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