I agree with Minister Hunt. Like the goodly Minister, I cannot understand what all the fuss is about. If such a big deal were to be made about the Caroni Racing Complex-sorry, I meant the Tarouba Sporting Complex-I would understand. That flight of fancy-for a country that sees less than ten days of international cricket a year-has, thus far, cost over $1 billion. We could get 500 flags (and flagpoles, and foundations) for that amount. And imagine-the final cost is still unknown: maybe we could still sneak in a flag, or 200.
If the attention paid to this ’measly’ $2 million were directed to the overrun-in excess of $1 billion on the project at Petrotrin-I would understand. If we were to be so angry at the $400-plus million spent on two empty towers for the stillborn International Financial Centre, I could understand. At least we have the buildings; don’t mind the weak financial legislation, insufficient regulation, maddeningly slow public services and a crime wave that would discourage most right-thinking professionals from coming to this country.
Were the media and people of my beloved country to look at the $5 billion estimated to stabilise CL Financial and cry out in anger, I would join them. If proper laws were in place, backed up by vigilant regulation, we may have avoided that scenario and been able to buy more flags than anyone can count.
Why fuss about the flag, when we appear to have accepted many other items of great expenditure that bring us very little return. The conferences; the President’s, sorry Prime Minister’s, residence, inclusive of concert hall (I guess Queen’s Hall is too far to go, and the distance to the Performing Arts Academy takes it out of the equation); the non-enquiring enquiry; the range of expensive office towers in Port of Spain and San Fernando, and so on.
Look, the man knows what he is doing. He knows we love to wave flags in T&T. So I say bring on the flags-at least I will be able to look up at them with ’pride’, instead of looking down and shaking my head in anger and disbelief at the many billions of our taxpayers’ dollars that are ’jumpin’ up in steelband’.
