The colours of life

Let me ask you a simple question. If you had to pick, in whose shoes would you want to be right now?

Justin Ontong's or Jacques Rudolph's.

I for one, wouldn't want to be in either's. Imagine poor Rudolph's feelings. The stylish young player is making runs by the tons, and also has the faith of the team management to back that up. When he is finally selected into the Test eleven, he finds out that he has to make way for another player - a player who for all his talent, has found his way into that particular eleven for reasons entirely unconnected with his cricketing abilities - the colour of his skin.

Now spare a thought for poor Ontong. When you finally make your debut for your country, it is an occasion you want to remember for the rest of your life. You want your team-mates to welcome you with open arms. To make you feel comfortable.

To give you a sense of belonging. To have their respect for your abilities as a capable member of the unit. But instead, imagine the unspoken thoughts running through the minds of Ontong's team mates. That he may not entirely belong. That he may not *deserve* to belong. Because a possibly more talented player is sitting out because of orders from the powers-that-be.

Apartheid is undoubtedly one of the worst forms of discrimination among human beings. A human being who believes he is superior to another, merely because of the tint of his skin, is a disgusting and reprehensible creature. He is the very embodiment of the heights of perversions that mankind is capable of reaching.

Sadly, over a period of time we have seen entire countries engaging in the practice of apartheid. In the process, numerous generations of an entire people have not been allowed the basic courtesy of even being thought of as, as fellow human beings.

Mercifully in today's civilised world, such practices are not as rampant, nor are they as blatant. The modern world actually strives to deliver justice for the past crimes committed on a race. The 'victims' are sought to be integrated into their rightful place in the mainstream of civilisation through many instruments. Among them is the controversial one of reservations.

Reservations as an instrument of delivering social justice is certainly a fast one. One administrative decision, and (snap!) the guys are in! But inevitably it tends to cause a lot of heartburn. Deserving non -coloured candidates who miss out tend to feel hard done against - that they have been unjustly treated for no personal crime of theirs, and have been discriminated against, ironically because of the hue of their skin.

The policy of reservations can also tend to lead to a deterioration in the general standards, as not all of the people included may have the requisite competence for the job.

Maybe some other means other than reservations can also be explored. Means not entirely just in the larger sense, but probably less unjust and certainly less blatantly so. These means may be like providing free cricketing equipment and free coaching facilities among others, to coloured kids. Also maybe schools in black townships which have cricket teams of their own can possibly be provided with additional financial support.

Coloured kids taking part in cricket at schools and doing well at it can be waived a part or all of their tuition fees. I'm sure many such similar schemes can be thought of by the South African government in consultation with the cricket board.

I don't see a reason why such policies will not produce coloured South-African kids in the medium term - five to seven years - who will not make it to the national squad purely on merit alone, without the uncomfortable crutches of reservations. Yes, these options can financially cost more in the short term. But I believe that in the long term, it will be worth it all.

These methods may have a whiff of reverse discrimination in them by seeming to encourage coloured kids more than others to do well at the game. But I am sure that, that discriminatory feeling will be easily preferred by Jacques Rudolph over the one which he may be experiencing now. Also these uncharitable remarks of 'no-ability-only-colour' will cease to be heard when a coloured player is selected to the eleven. And I think Justin Ontong too will prefer to have it no other way.

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Mail Sports Editor