We have to fight for everything, it seems

Nov 08, 2009 Features / Columnists, My Column

---

By Adam Harris

Just yesterday I had a meeting with the staff of Kaieteur News and we attempted to examine the situation in Guyana focusing on things that affect our daily lives. Each reporter was to identify those areas to which he or she has been assigned and to look not only at the positives, but also at the negatives so that there could be reports that would grab the attention of the decision makers.
There was examination on things relating to health, transport, the judiciary and magistracy and of course sports.
In the area of health there was one interesting examination. Everyone is keen to maintain a healthy lifestyle although there are those of us who would ever so often seek out that beer or harder stuff.
It has not escaped our attention that the Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy is of the view, and I support him, that we drink too much. And indeed some of us do because there is not much else except work and sleep and go to church. These days there are church happenings every day. No longer must one wait for the traditional Sunday services.
There are the philanderers who are coming to their senses because one careless mistake could lead to death. So rampant sex is out and a drink takes over. It would be interesting to hear Dr Ramsammy comment on this. I would want him to guide me along a path or explain to me whether he would prefer one to have rampant sex and help foster the HIV/AIDS situation, or whether he would allow one to drink and cope with cirrhosis or some other related ailment down the road.
There was a time when sports provided a welcome distraction for people like me who are not athletically inclined but who dabbled in some aspects. I still remember the days when crowds trekked to the various cricketing venues to support one team or the other.
Some of the biggest crowds and I suppose that the situation still remains the same, were reserved for the track and field clashes.
People talked about the cream of the crop who traveled farther afield to take on the competition and actually do well. The playing field was level; people got time off from jobs to train and grass was the surface that everyone used, even in Trinidad and Jamaica that have improved their facilities to cope with the rest of the world.
Guyana was on the cusp of going that way but for the then administrators who had a different view. They never saw track and field as being a source of livelihood for the few who were so inclined.
I have said this before and I must repeat it again. The late Ed Hartley, a little man who ran with the best of them in England, came home when his glory days were over. He proposed asking for a limited synthetic track that would have been laid at the Guyana Sports Club ground.
That proposal was made about 40 years ago. I recall Hartley saying that given the expenditure on sports, the country would do well to obtain a track that could be picked up and taken to the various venues.
It goes without saying that nothing has happened and it is to our credit that we have people who leave here and go overseas to compete and these people actually win medals. It also goes without saying that they suffer injuries because of the ‘disaccustomcy’ to the new surface.
One reporter reminded me that in the Inter-Guiana Games, Guyana does well only in track. The Surinamese and the French Guianese blow us away at every other sport—swimming included although we make a big song and dance about the times our swimmers clock, locally.
We spend money on so many other things, some of them white elephants. We concentrate on those things that are already in place but we do not seek to expand our horizons.
I was also reminded that the money collected from the Lotto Funds was intended for sports among other areas. But the word is that sports gets pretty little. If there is a problem giving the sports administrators any money because of their record-keeping then the government should spend the money.
We are getting an Olympic–size swimming pool but I do not know what it would look like. There is no artist’s impression as is often the case with the construction of large facilities.
Guyana must get proper facilities. Crime will go down if this happens.
Then we come to the health situation. Indeed there has been marked improvement in the services offered by the Georgetown Public Hospital. There are now some surgeries that could only have been undertaken overseas.
Groups championing various causes have sprung up and they raise money, but for overseas visits to foreign hospitals. My view is that the very money could be spent in Guyana.
In the first instance, the cost of air travel and hotel accommodation would be negated. Thus, more people could be made to have the necessary surgeries right here. These groups have lists of people needing such surgeries but they more often than not refuse to provide the lists to the local authorities.
Perhaps people want their own little corner of God’s earth, to the detriment of the people who need the help.
There is so much wrong that can be corrected but it seems that people must fight for everything. We have fought for house lots, for food, for better pay and even for political gains.
Perhaps the time is now for us to fight for things recreational and for things pertaining to our health.

---

---