#BTColumn – New wine, old skins

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by this author are their own and do not represent the official position of the Barbados Today.

by Marsha Hinds

I was going to start this article by complaining that I especially dislike the behaviour of die-hard party supporters who seek to justify anything that their party does regardless of how indefensible it may be.

However, it seems as though, more and more, die-hard party supporters are not the only people guilty of this pattern.

I think it is important for me to add my voice to the many who have expressed concerns about the comment that emanated from a Barbados Labour Party platform categorizing sports people in general.

It does not make sense to seek to separate out types of cricketers and say that the comment was not made about the class of cricketers who have risen to the level of national hero out of their contribution.

Regardless of the level of sport played, sports people are respected for their acumen, and it should be understood by now that sporting ability is not to be rated below other
types of ability.

We have spent a few years well seeking to enhance the prestige of sport in the Island. The Herman Griffith cricket tourney has been boosted as well as both the primary and secondary schools athletic meets.

There has also been more of a coordinated effort to get students onto overseas college tenure tracks using sports as an avenue. What is the point of doing all this if we will only reserve respect for the most elite tier of athletes?

The comment made on the platform was an unfortunate and indefensible one, and it is disappointing to see so many people from the ruling party trying to defend it for a single reason.

To defend this comment means that there becomes a philosophical difference with how we still view students who have aptitudes outside of the Common Entrance examination.

It means that although we have vowed to open up Barbados’ fortunes by focusing on alternative activities such as the creative, blue and green sectors, we are still approaching the view of what is success from a very traditional and elitist perspective.

Sports has value for community pride, nation and character building. Perhaps if we valued sport we would have a serious nationally coordinated programme for children to be involved in sport and movement. Our parks and community centres would be better kept.  The comment is not simplistic, it actually explains quite a few things.

The other very uncomfortable aspect of the comment is that it was made by a member of the political class, which is the only high level position the world over that can be held without specialization in the related area. How then does someone from that class dismiss the contribution by any others in a field of endeavour?

As if that was not bad enough, the candidate on whose platform the comment was made had informed us two weeks prior that her husband had been elevated to a job within the National Sports Council. Are sports only important for the high paid jobs given to the political class and their affiliates?

Barbados has been quite slow to figure out what’s next in the future in some important areas.

Yearly, we largely squander the talent and lives of the non-academic segment of our school population. Economically, the Island is off balance. It was bad before COVID-19, and now it is nothing short of a crisis.

We have to find solutions and there is no time. The comment made signals that we seem content on putting our new wine in the very same skins.

Marsha Hinds is the President of the National Organisation of Women.