Mr Wright’s query is legitimate

[Peter R]

The last time I checked, CARICOM meant the Caribbean Community and Common Market (shortened today to the Caribbean Community). We are talking here about island nation-states washed by the Caribbean Sea!*



And yes, I am fully aware of the fact that Guyana is one of the big four that signed that vastly overrated Treaty of Chagaramus way back in the optimistic 1973.

I would feel exactly the same way about Belize simply because, strictly speaking, like Guyana, Belize is not a Caribbean nation! I know that you’re fully aware that Guyana is a South American country (the only English-speaking nation in South America, although Suriname also does the CXC exams) and Belize is a Central American country (the only English-speaking country in Central America).

Surely the CARICOM Secretariat could have been more creative in finding a truly Caribbean Sea location for its headquarters other than South America’s Georgetown, the capital of Guyana! What about Castries, or Port of Spain, or Bridgetown, or Kingston, or Kingstown?

By the way, there are many Guyanese nationals who will boast loudly that they are NOT Caribbean, but rather South American! I know the Guyanese people inside out, and while I honestly like most Guyanese, we need to call a spade a spade.

* That is your OPINION isn't it? We are talking about members of an organisation whose name happens to be CARICOM.

If we are to fixate on the name "Caribbean" logic states that Guyana, Belize and Suriname should not be members if I am to take your reasoning to a logical conclusion...and Bermuda too shouldn't have an associate membership, it is in the Atlantic whose waters also brush the shores of the two afore-mentioned South American countries.

What is NOT logical to me is to create a me and them situation which you seem to advocate... if I am an equal member of an organisation regardless of my geographical location I should have the identical rights of every other member including the right to have the organisation's head quarters located in my country. Otherwise there is no equitable relationship.

Please note I am speaking about a principle, the fact that it is CARICOM is beside the point and that some Guyanese refer to themselves as South Americans is neither here nor there IMO with respect to what you are advancing.

[Historian]

Very Little Logic!

Historian,

Is Guyana part of CARICOM? just checking...

And would you have an issue if it (the HQ) were situated in Belize (a Central American country) ?

What logic is defied by the location of the HQ in Guyana?

The last time I checked, CARICOM meant the Caribbean Community and Common Market (shortened today to the Caribbean Community). We are talking here about island nation-states washed by the Caribbean Sea!

And yes, I am fully aware of the fact that Guyana is one of the big four that signed that vastly overrated Treaty of Chagaramus way back in the optimistic 1973.

I would feel exactly the same way about Belize simply because, strictly speaking, like Guyana, Belize is not a Caribbean nation! I know that you’re fully aware that Guyana is a South American country (the only English-speaking nation in South America, although Suriname also does the CXC exams) and Belize is a Central American country (the only English-speaking country in Central America).

Surely the CARICOM Secretariat could have been more creative in finding a truly Caribbean Sea location for its headquarters other than South America’s Georgetown, the capital of Guyana! What about Castries, or Port of Spain, or Bridgetown, or Kingston, or Kingstown?

By the way, there are many Guyanese nationals who will boast loudly that they are NOT Caribbean, but rather South American! I know the Guyanese people inside out, and while I honestly like most Guyanese, we need to call a spade a spade.

[Peter R]

Historian,

Is Guyana part of CARICOM? just checking...

And would you have an issue if it (the HQ) were situated in Belize (a Central American country) ?

What logic is defied by the location of the HQ in Guyana?

[Historian]

Agreed, but....

Jamaica and Guyana can put together a team that can challenge the world.I would not want T&T in it.

I’ll go one step further. Although I have no problem whatsoever with the Guyanese people (although I still question the logic of the headquarters of CARICOM being situated in Georgetown, a South American city), I would definitely support Jamaica leaving the West Indies charade and going it alone.

We, a nation of some 2.7 million people living inside Jamaica and with who knows how many millions more living outside our borders, need to begin fulfilling our manifest destiny. West Indies cricket, CARICOM, CARIFORUM, and other such emotional distractions do not have to be a part of our DNA in the 21st century.

With visionary leadership, Jamaica can take its rightful place in the Americas, and not only in sports!

[Sir X]

Jamaica and Guyana can put together a team that can challenge the world.I would not want T&T in it.

[Baddaz]

again, i will say it... jamaica needs to leave the wicb... what other evidence do we need to see the wicb does not want jamaicans in the new west indies...

[Peter R]

They are all Dons.... even Nash! Why Mr Wright wasting his time?

[Skeng DX]

It will be viewed in some quarters as ‘not the done thing”, but this newspaper believes Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) president Mr Lyndel Wright has acted correctly in urging the regional selectors to explain their policy towards leading Jamaican cricketers this season.
Mr Wright, a director of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), is quoted by this newspaper as saying, “We would like to hear from chairman of selectors Clyde Butts as to why so few Jamaicans are in the senior team and ‘A’ Team set-ups. The JCA is dissatisfied and disappointed that we have a number of players doing well who have not been selected.”
Many Jamaicans will actually argue that Mr Wright should have spoken out sooner. After all, Jamaica — despite being at the crest of a wave in terms of first-class cricket in the region, having early this season won an unprecedented fifth straight fourday title — have just one representative, Mr Marlon Samuels, on the current three-Test tour of England.
His sublime batting thus far in England will have confirmed that Mr Samuels has every right to be there. Ironically though, he played no role in Jamaica’s recent regional triumph, since he was away honouring professional commitments in Asian twenty-20 leagues.
Yet until now, Jamaicans have been largely muted in expressing their dissatisfaction in regard to the selection of the Test match touring party in England — largely, we believe, because of the peculiar circumstances. The truth is that while Jamaica’s bowlers did extremely well in the regional first-class tournament, the batting was far less than satisfactory.
Apart from Mr Chris Gayle, who scored a century in the only game he played for Jamaica this season, and Mr Brendan Nash, whose aggregate of 381 in five matches included a double century, no Jamaican batsman averaged 40.
His quarrel with the WICB coupled with his professional commitments in India meant that Mr Gayle missed the Test tour of England. We hope that despite talk of “residual issues”, Mr Gayle will be part of the West Indies team for the limited overs phase of the England tour and will be fully integrated for New Zealand’s visit to the Caribbean in July and August.
In the case of Mr Nash, the feeling may have been that at age 34 he did not do enough to compel a recall following the run of low scores which led to his omission last year.
Among the bowlers, there could be no questioning the legitimacy of leftarm finger spinner Mr Nikita Miller with 49 wickets — the most by any bowler in the regional competition — at 10.75. But cold, bleak England in May is not recommended for Caribbean spinners. On that basis many analysts would have understood the decision to omit Mr Miller, especially since the off spinner Mr Shane Shillingford had done well in the home series against Australia.
But then came news that Mr Miller had been ignored for the West Indies ‘A’ squad which is now getting ready to host India A. It should be noted that another left-arm spinner, Mr Sulieman Benn of Barbados, who many consider to be the most potent spinner in the West Indies, was also ignored despite success second only to Mr Miller in the regional tournament.
For this newspaper, and we suspect also for Mr Wright, the clincher was the decision to first ignore fast bowler Mr Andrew Richardson for the ‘A’ squad and subsequently as replacement for the injured Mr Shannon Gabriel who has withdrawn from the England tour.
On the face of it, the decision to opt for Mr Tino Best as the replacement fast bowler ahead of Mr Richardson makes no logical sense, since based on statistics and other available evidence, the latter was consistently the better bowler this season. Indeed, Mr Richardson was consistently the best fast bowler in the regional tournament, all told. Also, it seems to us, Mr Richardson because of his height would surely have had more going for him in English conditions than the five feet eight inch Mr Best.
In earlier years, Mr Richardson had a history of back trouble. Could it be that that memory swayed the selectors? Chairman of selectors Mr Clyde Butts, a man of experience and wisdom, will also be aware that there are those wondering if Mr Richardson’s position as secretary of the players’ union, WIPA, may also have been a factor in his non-selection.
In the interest of all concerned, Mr Butts should respond positively to the question from the JCA president and explain the situation.


Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/edito...#ixzz1vxiRbiD7