Dear Editor,
After my letter questioning the non-recognition of Samuel Ming and Christy Dey by the NSC Awards Panel appeared in the newspapers (‘Despite outstanding achievements…’ SN, Feb 14), I was engaged in some interesting person to person and telephone conversations with folks like Bud Mangal, Big Jer Goveia, Laurie Lewis, Godfrey Chin, Foster Sampson, Mike Benjamin, Dennis Dias, David Fernandes, Keith Campbell, Peter Peroune, Raymond Khalil, Neville Denny and John Carpenter, to name a few. Some of these folks are also quite unhappy and disappointed with some of the persons chosen for past and current awards.
If my memory serves me right, I can recall reading and hearing comments from sport persons, such as Donald Duff, Orin Davidson, Colin France, Keith Campbell, Juman Yassin and Charles Woon-A-Tai. These individuals had questioned the selection of persons for sport awards in years gone by. I do not recall ever seeing any explanations or justification for the chosen awardees over other deserving nominees, even though an exception occurred when an award was changed after being challenged in the press.
I am also a sportsperson and such recognition, like a National Sports Award, shows the appreciation for hard work, sweat and achievement, especially in the case of amateur practitioners. I am also an ardent lover of sports and have a healthy respect and admiration for all sportspeople. Naturally, I would like to see them get what they rightly deserve. Fair-minded athletes would not cherish the prize when it is not won fair and square. Some go as far as refusing to accept or passing it to the rightful winner.
In my discussions, there was one area of majority agreement. None of us is quite sure of the criteria for selection for the respective awards for 2010. It would be nice if members of the panel could furnish such details which, to my mind, could clear up this issue. I am told that the selection panel consists of such honourable persons as Ian McDonald, Justice Cecil Kennard, Neil Kumar, Conrad Plummer, Martin Goolsarran, Monica Sharma, Amanda Hermanstyne, Sharda Veerenchand, Leon Horatio and Steve Ninvalle, any of whom could amply reply.
These are national awards and such information should be made public so that sport administrators would be aware and guided for the benefit of those they nominate.
Yours faithfully,
Colin Ming
