THE EDITOR, Sir:
CONGRATULATIONS TO the people of Jamaica on the truly remarkable performances of your athletes in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia. Twenty-two medals, 10 of which were gold, from such a relatively small country is a stunning achievement. Too often, and sometimes understandably so, we the people of the Caribbean dwell too much on the negatives that permeate our societies, and do not take the time to celebrate the positives.
As Caribbean people, we cannot help but feel proud for our regional neighbours. We can only imagine how they must feel; well done.
Although cricket brings us together as a region, other than that, we share little in common in this part of the world. Insularity reigns. Perhaps it's time, in this age of globalisation, we use every opportunity to bring us closer together, making us collectively more efficient and powerful. Federation failed in the early 60s, and it's clear that central governance is out of the question. However, it is sport which has kept us 'together'. Perhaps CARICOM should focus more on the power and good of sport to formalise our integration as a region. Despite the poor performances of the regional team over the past decade, cricket, as a regional entity, has survived this slump, and this is some 44 years on from when we began gaining Independence from England. This in itself speaks volumes.
Crime is rampant both in Jamaica and Trinidad. However, one of the solutions being considered is to use sport to keep idle youths out of trouble. Without being overly simplistic and optimistic, this concept certainly bears credence. Regionally we need to share ideas on this to help solve our problems. Whatever the case, Jamaica is doing something really right to keep pumping out this bevy of world class athletes. Is it something in the water there? I think not. Their developmental programme is miles ahead of their regional neighbours', even with limited resources.
Talent is not confined to Jamaica; look at Kim Collins (St. Kitts), Ato Boldon (Trinidad and Tobago) and Allenye Francique (Grenada). However, what it seems Jamaica is doing is that they are maximising their potential through excellent school development programmes.
Next year as a region, we will be hosting the biggest ever event to be held in this part of the world - the Cricket World Cup. May we as a region use this opportunity as a platform for regional integration, that will benefit us for generations to come.
I am, etc.,
Dr. NIGEL CAMACHO
possedoc@trinidad.net
18 Elizabeth Street
Port-of-Spain
Trinidad and Tobago
Via Go-Jamaica
