Say no to blank cheque

THE EDITOR: Allow me to extend my congratulations to the Soca Warriors, to Mr Austin Jack Warner, to the Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs and to corporate Trinidad and Tobago for ensuring that collectively we have been able to get our national football team to the World Cup. However, let us not get carried away by this success and instead be realistic and pragmatic with our oil windfall.

I wish to refer to Mr Warner’s call for an “open budget” which in my mind is a blank cheque. I cannot support this call since in most countries, including Brazil, the government will assist after a proposal is presented by its respective football federation. Government then, together with corporative citizens, would decide on the extent and nature of support for its national representative team. I therefore urge that good sense prevail, Mr Warner must state exactly how much he has received from corporate Trinidad and Tobago and specify exactly how much he is requesting from Government.

RUPERT PRIMUS
San Fernando