Rally around the winner
IN THE same way that there have been appeals for cricket fans in the Caribbean to rally around the West Indies cricket team, it is time for Guyanese to rally around someone they hope can become a winner on the international stage. For more than a year, this society has been under too much strain simply because some have refused to accept the fact that they were beaten in an election sanctioned by international and local observers. The resulting disturbances, rising tensions and violence from that stand have had severe impact on the nation, adding to the economic woes small countries like Guyana are struggling to overcome. Refusing to accept the winner and to abide by the rules of the game can have dire consequences and a young nation like Guyana, still a fledgling democracy, cannot afford to be under too much such strain. This is what all those who have the nation's best interests at heart should be striving to avoid and should be frowning on attempts to stir further controversy. In this respect, many people were surprised at reports yesterday that suggested there was a raging dispute over the winner of last Saturday night's Miss Guyana/Universe 1999 pageant. There were appeals before the contest at the National Cultural Centre that all should respect the final decision of the judges and rally around the first delegate picked to represent Guyana at a major international event, like the Miss Universe contest, usually watched by millions around the world on live television. Openly challenging the judges' decision days after the queen was crowned and sashed and with such a short period before she is off to Trinidad and Tobago for the May 26 pageant as an ambassador for Guyana will do the delegate's morale no good. There were other favourites as winners last Saturday night but Guyanese did not want a repeat of the disputes that dogged the last Miss Guyana contest which resulted in a seven-year gap before such a pageant was staged again. Miss Morvinia Sobers was adjudged the winner and that decision by the judges had to be respected. If there were any serious concerns about the decision, these should have been made known almost immediately after, not days after and with insinuations that the affair somehow stinks. We have already referred to the instances of totally unwarranted ugly behaviour by sections of the crowd at the contest and attempts at stirring controversy at this stage can only sully a commendable attempt at reviving an event that many Guyanese wanted restored. It is now time for Guyanese to be rallying behind the winner because she will be representing them in Trinidad and Tobago and if she does well, the credit will also be the country's. We therefore welcome the organiser's denial yesterday that he was questioning the judges' decision and that he felt another contestant should have been the winner. The judges had their guidelines and arrived at their decision under the supervision of a team of auditors. Guyana can do without another episode of disputes over the results of a contest which can do more harm than good. The society needs a rest from divisiveness and a cause around which citizens can rally and turning a beauty pageant into an ugly affair is rather unsavoury. 
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