Dear Editor,
We intentionally withheld this perspective until later in the ongoing “Keep Your Five Alive” football tournament to invalidate claims that we may be trying to influence the outcome of the event. But it’s more clear than ever that the organizers of this tournament are complicit in sacrificing people who certainly may not be part of the current fraternity. How does a football tournament make such a big deal that it hosts activities at Georgetown’s two indoor venues, the National Gymnasium and Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, while denied access to other facilities? Were you able to enjoy it?
Just recently I had a situation with another football group that was forced to hold a tournament in the national park because they were refused use of those venues on the grounds of impending repairs. It’s over and still not fixed. Suffice it to say that another group, clearly in favor of the government through the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, can now have access to both venues previously denied to other groups. I understand that the organizers of the Keep Your Five Alive event are employees of the Entertainment Group, which works closely with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, which manages both venues. It is this kind of apparent victimhood and nepotism that has kept Guyana’s sport in the wild.
The message here is that unless you are part of a government cabal, you cannot benefit from the use of that facility which should be maintained with taxpayer money and accessible to all citizens who follow due process. Editors, I noticed that players who were previously banned from participating in national park events are now allowed to play in this “Keep Your Five Alive” activity. A player’s ban can be lifted at their convenience, so why hasn’t the Guyana Football Federation contacted me about the status of Sports Management Inc.? Which one? This issue is detailed in a great editorial titled “GFF and Sports Management Inc.” in the June 29th issue. I will not repeat the contents of that letter here, but the GFF is complicit in this conspiracy to prevent anyone outside of certain political fraternity from doing legitimate business in sport. I am exposing.
In a democracy everyone should have this right. However, since the GFF was announced as the sponsor of the “Keep Your Five Alive” event, it is clear that the GFF is effectively claiming its power in partnership with the group. This is an autocratic practice. The GFF is clearly working with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport and entertainment organizations to denigrate those who threaten to raise the standards of sport without their support. If I were the president of Sports Management Inc., he would write a GFF demanding the lifting of the ban and a public apology. How he managed the GFF to lift the player’s ban and not do the same to the tournament organizers who played in that tournament is an administrative mystery.
Editor, this is the country we live in. What is true of Peter is not true of Paul, but people are observing and noticing disparities in treatment based solely on politics and character. The time has come for people to decide what benefits them. It is a concerted effort to control sports, culture and the arts through archaic dictatorial practices that should not exist in modern democracies. Maybe we don’t enjoy the freedom we believe we have in this country. The treatment of young people forced into national parks should be condemned nationwide, given what is happening in gymnasiums and gymnasiums.
Sincerely,
Claude Bennett
