Against a growing chorus of disgust in Jamaica, Sir Hilary Beckles, principal of the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies, has apologized to former West Indies captain Chris Gayle for statements he made during a recent lecture in St Kitts.
The airwaves and Internet blogs have been hot all weekend in Jamaica, where politicians and ordinary citizens alike have been calling for a public apology from Sir Hilary, with some even expressing concern that his comments seemed to be part of a “war” being waged by Barbados against Jamaica.
Sir Hilary meanwhile continues to insist that his assessment of “leadership as expressed in public images was not intended to produce any negative effect or harm to any cricketer”, but he has nonetheless apologized for his remarks.
“Since returning from overseas, I’ve come to a clearer understanding of the reception of elements of my lecture delivered at the University of the West Indies on Leadership And The Rise And Fall Of West Indies Cricket.
“I am satisfied that the parts of my lecture which have caused public concern have been misrepresented and misunderstood and deductions made which were not obvious to me or intended.
“I am now aware of the anguish these deductions have caused in Jamaica and, in particular, an offending reference, which was not intended in any way to be comparative to anyone. I truly regret this.
“My assessment of leadership as expressed in public images was not intended to produce any negative effect or harm to any cricketer, especially to Mr Chris Gayle, who I consider to be an outstanding West Indies cricketer.
“I offer this statement of regret in all sincerity.”
During his presentation of the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Lecture in St Kitts, Sir Hilary made a reference to Gayle which many Jamaicans regarded as derogatory. He effectively compared Gayle to a Jamaican don – and said the West Indies Cricket Board was trying to move away from that kind of mentality.
