THE EDITOR, Sir:
ONE PARAGRAPH of your editorial on the statue for Merlene Ottey (The Gleaner,Feb. 12, 2004) deserves to be reprinted until it is learnt by heart by all school children and readers of your paper. You have touched what I consider to be a very important issue of citizenship and national maturity. The paragraph states: "The manner in which the nation finally treats and honours Ottey will be a statement of the island's maturity and regard for its citizens and what they do. Much time is spent lauding the bad that our people do, but when we have a daughter of our soil who has performed so well, she must be shown due respect."
The tendency to 'dash weh' our heroes and heroines began in more recent times with Lennox Miller, who was left standing outside the wire fence at an Olympic Village in Montreal when, had he been retained on the team, we would likely have earned a medal in the 4x100 relay. Much the same thing happened to that even greater Olympian Donald Quarrie, who would have likely been good enough to help us bring home a medal in the same event in a later Olympiad.
Indeed, I believe the honouring of our great performers should go beyond whether they can medal! They have been of wondrous service to the state, and we should not pull back from honouring them even when they are moving into the autumn of their years.
In the same way then, Tony Becca's recent article on Lawrence George Rowe ("Not the greatest, simply the best"), followed by Sir Garfield Sobers' commentary on the top five Jamaican cricketers ("... the genius of West Indies cricket to me - a man called Lawrence Rowe"), reminded me of something that needs discussion.
As a nation, we took a principled stand against an error in judgement by this beloved son of the soil, who brought purest joy to all, whoever had the privilege of seeing him put bat to ball. That, in my eyes, simply, artistry unparalleled! Also, that square drive to the rising ball moving away outside the off-stump, played impossibly with the bat away from the body, but on the ground, all the way to the point boundary, pure genius!
Despite all that, we took a correct and principled stand, so far, so good. We however seem to have turned it into a lifetime of banishment and shame. True, most Jamaicans felt he was free to "earn a bread" wherever he could, but Rowe, the darling of our aspirations, the Michelangelo of cricket, deserved sanction for going to Apartheid South Africa and having to be proclaimed an "Honorary White" in order to play cricket in that racist regime.
The problem is, this sanction, this opprobrium, is still in place! After all these years, nobody has bothered to say, "all right me boy, you have done your penance. Come back home, we still love you. Here is the key to the house."
When will this public opprobrium be lifted? When do we open our hearts and arms as a nation, kill the fatted goat, and invite Yagga Rowe back into the salubrious and nurturing bosom of our full forgiveness, esteem and love?
It is my proposal that the time is now. His Excellency the Governor-General himself, an ardent cricket fan and former cricket administrator, should be asked by the Jamaica Cricket Board, to proclaim a Lawrence Rowe Day. His Worship, Mayor Desmond McKenzie, should be asked to present Rowe with the Keys to the City. Perhaps all this could take place at a cricket match at Sabina Park, the scene of his immortality (214 and 100 not out against New Zealand in 1972) and where his glorious genius had its full flowering to our endless delight.
Freed, at last, from the lingering ignominy and with the full assurance of a nation's forgiveness, Rowe, simply the best batsman the world has seen (and he comes from Jamaica), clasped once more to our bosom, would then be able to take part freely in Jamaica's cricket, and in the preparations for the 2007 World Cup. Collectively, we would all be the better off for it.
We demonstrate national immaturity in our lingering delight in using the hatchet. We need all our sons, all our daughters. We do nothing worthwhile as a nation if we cannot extend forgiveness and show compassion.
I am etc.,
EWART WALTERS
spectrum@storm.ca
Ottawa, Canada
Via Go-Jamaica
