Former West Indies fast bowler and the first Antiguan to represent the senior regional team, Sir Andy Roberts, believes the body charged with representing players from the Caribbean has been more of a hindrance than a blessing in the efforts to solve issues plaguing West Indies cricket.
Sir Andy, who claimed 202 wickets in 47 Test matches and 87 wickets in 56 One Day Internationals, accused WIPA (West Indies Players Association), of babying players and making it difficult for coaches to perform their duties.
“You get some hard-nosed [strict] coaches, some of the former players and you get the board out of the way, and also you get WIPA out of the way, because some of the things that the former players would say to these current players, WIPA maybe, would object to some of the things. But these guys need to be spoken hard to because they must realise it is not a bed of roses. It is hard work, it is commitment and you have to make sacrifices in order for you to get to the top and stay at the top,” he said.
We have a large database of Guyanese worldwide. Most of our readers are in the USA, Canada, and the UK. Our Blog and Newsletter would not only carry articles and videos on Guyana, but also other articles on a wide range of subjects that may be of interest to our readers in over 200 countries, many of them non-Guyanese We hope that you like our selections.
It is estimated that over one million Guyanese, when counting their dependents, live outside of Guyana. This exceeds the population of Guyana, which is now about 750,000. Many left early in the 50’s and 60’s while others went with the next wave in the 70’s and 80’s. The latest wave left over the last 20 years. This outflow of Guyanese, therefore, covers some three generations. This outflow still continues today, where over 80 % of U.G. graduates now leave after graduating. We hope this changes, and soon.
Guyanese, like most others, try to keep their culture and pass it on to their children and grandchildren. The problem has been that many Guyanese have not looked back, or if they did it was only fleetingly. This means that the younger generations and those who left at an early age know very little about Guyana since many have not visited the country. Also, if they do get information about Guyana, it is usually negative and thus the cycle of non-interest is cultivated.
This Guyana Diaspora Online Forum , along with its monthly newsletter, aims at bringing Guyanese together to support positive news, increase travel and tourism in Guyana and, in general, foster the birth of a new Guyana, which has already begun notwithstanding the negative news that grabs the headlines. As the editor and manager of the publication, I am committed to delivering Blog entries and Newsletters that are politically balanced, and focused on the positive ideas we wish to share and foster among Guyanese.
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