TT gets World Cup fete matches

THE EDITOR: May I congratulate Newsday for its timely, patriotic and instructive editorial entitled “World Cup Crumbs” (July 15, p 10). We in TT continue to pay a huge price both on the domestic and regional fronts for governance by abdication. Having failed to deal diplomatically and effectively with Caricom relations and the TT/Barbados Mari-time dispute by reason of political ineptitude, we now have a Government that bungled and squandered the bright prospects of our World Cup bid package by sacrificing the aspirations of our multiculturalism.

From the very inception of the bidding process, PM Manning was at loggerheads with the proposals of his Sports Minister. The current debacle was accordingly not unexpected and clearly predictable. TT is now the doormat of World Cup 2007. The UNC and PNM never funded and supported cricket, the creator of our multicultural hall of fame. No consideration was ever given to using our world class cricket facilities to cater for the overriding social and recreational needs of Trinbagonians by securing/hosting a commensurate World Cup package. We seem to want to shoot ourselves in the foot and sacrifice our interests in favour of Caricomesse, we who supported West Indies cricket faithfully with our dollars for 75 years.

Congenital bungling, marginalisation of inputs from the TT Cricket Board/Captain Brian Lara/Queen’s Park, unilateralism and political contamination of our World Cup bid has cost us dearly. Even traditionally rain-drenched Guyana outfoxed and outbid us. Various cocktails of inherently contradictory reasons including commercial viability, “not competing nonsense,” team playing and Caribbean unity have been concocted to deceive Trinbagonians about pandering to Caribbean co-operation. Meanwhile our Bajan brothers with their “Black Jacks” and Jamaicans with their “Yellow Bird” Opening ceremonies are laughing at us all the way to the bank. Trinis are left with their dollars and no sense. TT has been treated as a second class Caribbean state thanks to the bungling Government. The future of cricket in TT is in serious doubt with a Government that is not funding the sport.

We have lost out on a package of ample opportunities to showcase our cultural diversity as well as our performing, plastic and culinary arts. Would Government have been allowed to do the same with football? Was Government sincere in spending the proposed $100M? I can survive with oil and incompetence at home, but when this foolishness is transferred unto the regional sports setting to harm the legitimate interests of TT I lose my cool and sanity. I am reminded of the occasion when Jamaica accessed our $1Bn Caribbean Aid Consortium funds and bought Mexican oil. While the Indian Government is funding the new Guyanese World Cup stadium, the Indian team will be based in TT playing fete matches against Holland, Canada, Denmark, Tuvalu and Timbuktu. Why is the Indian team earmarked for TT? Is it to exploit ethnicity or the spinning Oval wicket with our Brown skin gul package? We must throw away this damn World Cup baby and show our outrage at being treated with disrespect and contempt thanks to political ineptitude.

STEPHEN KANGAL
Caroni