And how shall we honour them?

The Government intends to impose two welcome functions upon them at Piarco. The first, a private pappyshow, so that all sorts of nouveau supporters can squeeze into the VIP Lounge to jostle the tired players, and then the Government intends to present itself in public with the Warriors, in the atrium of the airport building. All good election-opportunity stuff for the Government, who are, once again, going to announce to the nation what they are going to bestow upon the Warriors. I use the term “once again” because we have been waiting for so long to hear the Government make this promised announcement.

Ever since we beat Mexico last October, the Government announced that they were going to reward the Soca Warriors. Then the commitment was made conditional upon getting past Bahrain. After Bahrain the announcement was again deferred-until Mr Manning could speak with Dwight Yorke. In the ensuing six months — while World Cup Fever mounted in TT — Manning’s Cabinet gave no thought whatever to how the Govern-ment should reward the players. It was not until after the Team returned to play Peru in May that Manning sent for Dwight. So they met. And the outcome? Nothing! It was a photo-opportunity for Manning to pose with the World Cup captain. What did you expect? Mr Manning postponed his announcement once again. Dwight dutifully kept his silence — until this week.

So the Warriors have come home again — beaten but unbowed, and are being put on display once again for the Government to tell us how supportive they have been. Just remember, if you can, that Manning and most of his Cabinet failed to attend any of the early qualifying matches — when we were struggling.

And when will the Warriors know what rewards the Government will give them? As you read this on Sunday morning, will you have the answer? Would Manning have made his grand announcement at the Stadium Rally yesterday, or did he do it more quietly at Piarco?

Now, in my heading I asked “How Shall We Honour Them?” and all I have discussed so far is the Prime Minister’s waffling on how we might reward them. Do you agree that there is a significant difference between a reward and an honour? I believe that the country, through our Government, should present each player with a tangible, meaningful reward for what the team has achieved. And of course the decision on what form this will take is long overdue.

The bonuses from the TTFF to the players and staff were agreed long ago: for a qualification Win or Draw; for Qualification: for matches at the World Cup — Win, lose or draw; for players on the field, and for players on the bench. If the Federation could do this, could Government not even have a draft plan ready? Dwight Yorke, in a news report where he expressed his disappointment about the government’s delay, told us that he did advise Mr Manning on what might be appropriate rewards. Yet the Warriors returned home on Thursday evening, still without any idea of what reward they might be getting.

I am cynical enough to expect that the Government intends to reap as much political harvest as they can — from a crop they neither planted nor tended — so I expect that a generous announcement would have been made yesterday in the Hasely Crawford Stadium, where thousands will cheer the government’s largesse. We can look for an announcement of the election date shortly thereafter. But enough of the Government alone. Corporate TT, with the exception of those sponsors who were on board from the early, struggling days, what can you do for the players — other than reap your own harvest out of the stimulated economy surrounding the World Cup? Surely corporate TT can do better than donate a keg of rum?

So, now — how shall we honour them? In a mature, self-confident society, honour is more appreciated than reward. Indeed, in such societies, honour often leads to rewards, but the reverse is not true. Today, as we consider honouring the Soca Warriors, our “honours system” is in disarray. While the State is running advertisements for citizens to nominate individuals or groups for National Awards, no one knows what these awards will be. So whom can we nominate, and for what?

In 1989, long before November 19, the Strike Squad was awarded the Chaconia Medal. As president of the association I was summoned to President’s House to discuss the Protocol. I was told that the association was being awarded the medal, and briefed on how I should receive it. Then to conclude, they read the citation in full. The awardee was not the association, but the “National Football Team!” I made them stop, and explained that I could not receive the award. They were adamant, that as president, I had to. Eventually, they called President Noor Hassanali, who after listening to me, agreed that the team coach Gally Cummings should be the actual recipient. However, Gally, too, said that he was not the person who should receive it, and suggested that the team captain, Clayton Morris, receive the medal, and that was how the Strike Squad collected the honour of the Chaconia Medal.

So, Chaconia for the Strike Squad in ’89, what for the Soca Warriors in 2006? Will the team be the recipient of the nation’s new highest award. And what award will this country bestow upon the Football Federation? Will World Cup qualification be narrowly seen as all that has been achieved? Will there be recognition for 98 years of voluntary service to the country — in all districts, for all youngsters, all building to the goal finally achieved?

And what honour will we bestow upon Jack Warner — whose vision, work, faith, and commitment has served this country better than any citizen to date? Can this Government rise above the petty politics to honour our team, as well as the Federation, and the one man who made it all possible ? We wait to see.