Flying the Flag in the Face of Financial Discipline

November 6, 2009 by Edmund Gall

After a few days of media speculation the Hon. Minister of Sports, Gary Hunt, has confirmed that a national flag was installed at our Hasely Crawford Stadium for a total of TT$2 million (see Trinidad Express and Trinidad Guardian stories).  This has led to much consternation on the online blogs, except the facebook pages that Minister Hunt visits (by his own words).  According to the Hon. Minister, he hasn’t been privy to any “fuss” on his constituency walkabouts either.  In other forums, such as radio chat shows, folks have claimed that in a developed country, the Minister would’ve been fired, along with those directors of SPORTT who were involved in the decision to spend tax dollars on such a preposterous attempt to bolster flagging national pride.

In my view, the Minister needs to widen his pool of online sources.  Maybe he doesn’t read the Trinidad Express online, but the response to this news story alone runs into five pages of fuss.  Also, I suggest he steps out of his constituency of Port of Spain North / St Anns West, where folks appear to be so rich that they can find no wrong in installing a $2 million-dollar flag.  These folks need to use their computers to validate the Minister's claims that the cost isn't expensive, as was done by one blogger, Henry Castillo.

Finally, to those hoping an example will be made of this Sports Minister by our Hon. Prime Minister, how can you expect someone who allegedly approved spending TT$3 million on drapes for the new PM’s state residence to criticise one of his stars for wasting a mere $2 million?  Firing the Sports Minister for this would be too radical a move.

No chance.  Instead, another monument to fiscal indiscipline by our government is installed in the name of national pride, with a recurrent expenditure of at least TT$36,000 (since the flag has to be replaced every 4-6 months).  Rather than pride, this flag will instil the same feeling of disbelief in me as the dove weathervane on the Red House does (remember when thousands was spent one evening to replace the original dragon weathervane because one Minister at the time felt it brought bad luck to the nation?).

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