Robbery…

…in CPL final

This Eyewitness never made it a secret that he’s an avid (even a rabid) fan of the Guyana Amazon Warriors – henceforth the “Warriors”. So when he screams “we wuz robbed!!!!” in the CPL finals, he knows there’ll be the issue of being an “interested party”. But he’ll preface his statements with this caution that’s guided him since he was a stripling. It’s from Dr No.

When a thing happened the first time it’s “happenstance”; a second time, “coincidence” but when for the third time – its “enemy action”. So can you blame this Eyewitness – when after seeing the same blatant injustice being meted out a DOZEN times to the Warriors in the match against the Tridents – not conclude we were bloodily well robbed?? And “miffed” is not the word he’s feeling right now. How about “pissed”??

But just in case, you dear reader didn’t see the match – maybe you were on the rocket heading to Mars? – let me not only count the ways in which the dirty was done to us – but also “how”.

The television replays conclusively showed that when it came to calling “wides”, umpire Gregory Braithwaite clearly used a different metric of measurement for the Warriors than the Tridents – IN EVERY INSTANCE, FAVOURING THE BARBADOS TRIDENTS. Was it coincidence that Braithwaite is a Bajan?? Even the commentators were flummoxed at the inconsistencies of Braithwaite’s “wide” calls.

Then there was the first ball dismissal (if one went by the replays) of Trident Shoab Malik by Santokie – but given “not out” by Braithwaite. The 55 runs he went on to score should’ve been awarded to Braithwaite – who should’ve also gotten Malik’s “man of the match” gift.

On the other hand. Warriors Neesham – its big hitter – was given out by Braithwaite on a “catch” when repeated replays could show no contact. It wouldn’t have helped if they could’ve gone to the television umpire, Leslie Reifer. Totally coincidentally he’s also Bajan!

But all of this monkey-business pales into insignificance with the FARCE that was perpetrated at the end of the game. Needing 46 runs with 25 balls with two big-hitting Warriors at the crease – Ramdin and Barnwell, the rains returned. During the Tridents innings there’d been three rain interruptions – so after the covers were removed at worse one thought the overs would’ve been reduced if time was a constraint.

The CPL Facebook page announced that the full game would be played…and it very well could’ve been, while all waited. The commentators all expected this. But suddenly, the Tridents were running on the field…grinning from ear to ear.

Somebody – not the rules of cricket – had declared them “winners”. Disgraceful!!

…and crime fight boosted?

The Home Affairs Ministry said it’s going to increase the Guyana Police Force (GPF) from 3410 to 4956 – an increase of 45 per cent. Now that’s a massive undertaking, if nothing else. It was interesting that the Opposition leader, David Granger – fresh from being “confirmed as leader of the PNC through “fiddled” arrangements – said that while this is welcome, it should be more “holistic”.

Expanding on his notion of “holistic”, Granger quoted from the Disciplined Forces Commission Report (DFCR) of 2003, of which he was a member. Unfortunately, of the 71 recommendations from the report, Granger cited only three. Number 19, about establishing more Police stations; number 21, that the numbers of Police should be increased and number 26, on increases in salaries.

Granger studiously avoided the elephant in the room and in the report – indeed the raison d’être for the entire DFCR: that the “composition of the GPF should reflect the composition of the population of Guyana”.

We wonder why??

…on high seas averted?

Now that our crime-fighting forces have nabbed the narco-sub that would’ve surreptitiously smuggled drugs across the seas, they should immediately deploy it against the pirates preying on our fisher-folk in Corentyne.