Issue:Forgiving Lawrence Rowe

Make peace with 'Yagga' but withdraw honour

THE EDITOR, Sir:

The matter of Lawrence Rowe apologising and being honoured is impatient of debate. Like others, I am tempted to still dwell overlong on Mr Rowe's transgressions: on the destroyed cricket careers and lives left in his wake; on the shame of 'honorary whiteness'; on the mercenary willingness of my countryman to sell out an entire race of people for a few rands; and even on the man's insufferable arrogance. But at the end of it, I have learned the importance of forgiveness.

The fact is that we all NEED to forgive 'Yagga' for the despicable actions of his past and we need to forgive him despite the shabby backhanded apology of his present. We need to forgive him because it is the right thing to do. We need to forgive him so that we can stop carrying anger in our hearts that only hurts ourselves. We need even to forgive him for his post-apology ranting that "he is not saying that he did anything wrong" and that "many of our national heroes were crooks" and that "history may prove him right in the end".

forgive foolish utterances

We need to forgive him because he doesn't even know of what he speaks. We need to forgive him his foolish utterances (which is all he has left), so that they have no power to hurt us anymore. We need to forgive him for our own sakes. And so, Mr Rowe, we forgive you. Go with God.

That said, we should NOT honour him. We should not allow him a voice of power or a place of stature. His batting record, for what its worth, can always speak for itself. The fans who remember his finer innings are free to relive them in all the glowing brilliance of cherished memory, if they so choose.

But Mr Rowe is not deserving of acclamation and is not to be held up as a role model for others. Sure, the prodigal son of the New Testament was welcomed back with open arms and fêted, but he received no new inheritance and no sign on the estate! That was reserved for the son who had stayed the course and toiled justly.

mistake

I encourage the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) to have the courage to admit that they made a mistake, as is perfectly understandable for a new administration, and then to simply remove the sign bearing Mr Rowe's name from Sabina Park. To leave it there would be to constantly remind us of something that we need to put behind us. They can always say that they underestimated the sensitivity of the issue.

The JCA may choose to explain to Mr Rowe, but need not apologise, at least for another 28 years. I doubt if all the recent outcries, letters and editorials have caused 'Yagga' even a moment of true embarrassment, as his 'shame tree' dried up a long time ago, and so doubt that this will have any effect either. We can only hope that he will understand the correctness of such action. But if not, we can always forgive him that too.

R. ANDREW LEVY

robandlev@yahoo.com