RACISM -- ALIVE AND KICKING IN AUSTRALIA

Racism in cricket has been brought alive in the second cricket test between India and Australia (02 to 06 JAN 2008) with Andrew Symonds alleging that Harbhajan Singh made a racist comment about him, and match referee Mike Procter passing judgement against Harbhajan based only on the words of the accuser Symonds and a couple of his team-mates, without any concrete evidence.


This is not the first time India has had to face non-white cricketers. Apart from playing against the West Indies for a long time, we have had non-whites in the England team such as Dean Hadley, Devon Malcolm, Phil DeFrietas, and in the Souh African Team like Makhaya Ntini, Paul Adams, Nicky Boje, as well as players in the Kenya and Zimbabwe teams. Never in all these years has there been the slightest whiff of racist comment from the Indians against any of these non-whites, or even against anyone else for that matter. If Australia suddenly puts up a cry against Harbhajan and gets a three-test ban passed by Mike Procter in a Kangaroo Court fashion, there is something perverse and sinister about it.

Andrew Symonds happens to be the first, and one and only, non-white player in a team of pure-white Australians in whom the "White Australia" blood still is in full flow. Apart from Evonne Goolagong Cawley in tennis and Cathy Freeman in athletics, not much is known about other original inhabitants, the Aborigines, in Australian sports. One wonders what sort of equation or relationship Symonds has with the "whites" in the team. Having moved from the Caribeans to Australia, he has to constantly prove himself to be more loyal to Australia than the Australians themselves. He is in a very vulnerable position to be 'used' by the racist elements in the team for their own benefit.

Indians have been some sort of a thorn in recent times in the path of the 'all-conquering' Australians and they have to be stopped in their track by hook or crook. Isn't it the easiest thing in the world for the racist Australians to 'use' Symonds to plant a racism charge against India and "mentally disintegrate" them, in the words of their great master-mind Steve Waugh who shaped their sledging practice in this direction?

As a result, we see the 'white racism' of the Australian players (and English umpire Mark Benson) along with the 'black racism' of the West Indies umpire Steve Bucknor, who seems to have taken a visceral dislike for the Indians as seen by his many recent bad decisions against them, aided and abetted by the 'apartheid racism' of South African Mike Procter in his totally one-sided judgement against Harbhajan throwing into the winds any semblance of natural justice, coming together like a ton of bricks on the Indians. And this is what Ricky Ponting and his brand of fellow-Australians call playing "HARD AND FAIR".

Looks like we have to fall back on good old friend Mark Anthony to describe the situation. "Andrew Symonds says he is not overly sensitive about racism but considers comments unacceptable when they come from opposition players with whom he has no friendship," says a report from Cricinfo. So there it is in black and white; Harbhajan is no friend of Symonds, so whatever he says becomes racist.
(http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/ausvind/content/current/story/330663.html)
So this wound to Harbhajan and India was caused by Symonds. But Symonds is an honourable man. When Harbhajan said something to Symonds in response to a provocation from him, Ponting runs to his mothers, Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson, and complains, "My Mummies, this fellow hit me back first", which finally leads to a three match ban. This wound to Harbhajan and India was caused by Ponting. But Ponting is an honourable man. Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson did not see any of this evil, and did not hear any of this evil directly, but still they carried the complaint to Mike Procter the referee, which resulted in the three-match ban on Harbhajan. But Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson are honourable men. Mike Procter admitted in a TV interview that the umpires did not hear Harbhajan uttering any racist comments, but he still accepted Symonds' complaint at face value and dumped Harbhajan's defense into the sea in the Sydney beach, and slapped a three-match ban on him. This wound to Harbhajan and India was caused by Mike Procter. But Mike Procter is an honourable man.

Yes, all these racists are honourable men indeed.