Suki’s deep in money troubles

Draughts champ Ronald "Suki" King making a move against Gregory Simmons during a game in Hope's Alley, Bridgetown. (LD)

By Carlos Atwell | Sun, February 12, 2012 - 12:45 PM

BARBADOS MAY LOSE its financially troubled World Go As You Please draughts title-holder to the Irish.

Ronald “Suki” King made the disclosure in a SUNDAY SUN interview in which he expressed disappointment that Prime Minister Freundel Stuart and other senior Government officials had ignored his appeals for help.

He also asked how could the queen of song Rihanna get millions of dollars from Government and the king of draughts couldn’t even attract $2.

A straight-talking King admitted that he was in deep money trouble, could not support his family, had lost his car for non-payment and was now being “hounded” because he could not meet payments on a plot of land.

He also dismissed speculation that his “near-death” experience in the waters off Dover Beach was a publicity stunt to get the sympathy dollars to come rolling in.

For the draughts king, one bright spot has been Irish aid.

“I have friends in Ireland working on getting me a job teaching draughts in prison and schools,” he reported.

“They are even thinking about getting me citizenship there so if I can get the break, I have to take the chance, as nothing is happening for me here,” he said, adding that his wife Hazeain agreed with him on this.

King said his repeated failure to gain Government support had left him depressed, a state which he was trying to improve last Tuesday when he went for a swim off Dover Beach, Christ Church, and almost drowned.

According to King, the troubles began in earnest last year when he was fired by the National Sports Council. Since then, he said he had approached Minister of Sport Stephen Lashley and Prime Minister Stuart numerous times – and also talked to a number of permanent secretaries – in an effort to land a job teaching draughts in the community, but all to no avail.

He told the SUNDAY SUN about his financial woes: “I have not worked for about 14 months now.

I have lost my car because I couldn’t make the payments and I have people hounding me for a piece of land I can no longer pay for. I can’t even support my family; my wife has to do everything. You mean Rihanna just get $5 million and I can’t get $2?

“The only person who showed interest is minister Christopher Sinckler, who told me two weeks ago that I deserved better treatment and he would arrange something. I am still waiting.”

In light of all this and what happened on Dover Beach, rumours have been that King “staged” the whole thing to get attention. However, King refuted those claims.

“You really think I would risk my life foolish so? Last year, when I won tournaments, did you see me in the papers? Why would I want publicity?

I would rather go back through that ordeal than go unemployed for another year,” he said.

King said the only reason he contacted the media was to highlight the young lifeguard who rescued him, Corey Antrobus, as his profession was one not appreciated enough by the public.

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Posted by young dennis 3 months, 1 week ago: push it Suki.

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Posted by Frank Husbands 3 months, 1 week ago: A few years ago Suki showed me some board games he was developing and I mentioned to him that I thought he would have been better off looking at internet games. He has the mental capacity to be an “online Gamer” and even has what it takes to grasp Boolean law and go on to develop award winning games that are profitable.
I think he rested on his laurels,a government job would do that to any one.I have been self employed the bulk of my 50 years and have retrain myself in IT,at my old age and now earning money online in US dollars.
I see my online investments keeping me very comfortable in my old age.Suki can dominate the online gaming business. An area that I myself am soon going to be venturing into.I am studying Boolean law and theorems in my old age.Suki more has a brain for Boolean algebra than I.Suki and I both raise in the Inner City streets of Bridgetown,he needs to gather his street smarts again.