I had sent this to The West yesterday. Comment in respect of Zempilas's latest column:
"16/01/2021
There are many responses to Mr Zempilas’s comments regarding the Indian Cricket team having lost “the moral high ground” because of their refusal to make their own beds in the Brisbane hotel they are staying at. His specious comment that 99% of their fellow country-folk do it themselves in India is a completely bizarre comparison.
I make two points in regard to Zempilas’s comments. Firstly, let us not diminish the racial vilification that players have been subjected to, to a question of who makes the beds. Racial vilification can impact on the psyche and mental health status of people for significant periods of time and manifest in many areas of the victim’s life.
Secondly, surely the comparison that needs to be made is whether the Australian cricket team members are required to make their own beds when they are on tour in India and staying at the luxury hotels they are residing in? Knowing the standard of accommodation that Team Australia would be treated to in India, my suspicion is that they would not be required to do so. And, in reverse, why does Team India need to make their own beds when they come here?
Let me emphasise that my personal view is that each of the team members of both sides can very well be made to make their own beds but this is purely a question of reciprocal treatment of a bunch of over-lauded and wealthy individuals who possess an innate talent for playing a game at the highest level!
Sincerely
Suresh Rajan