UNC political leader Winston Dookeran says any proposal presented by T&T Football Federation special adviser Jack Warner for the Soca Warriors’ World Cup 2006 preparations should be taken seriously.
Warner, who is one of the UNC’s deputy political leaders, has requested an open budget from the Government for the national football squad’s World Cup preparations.
While Dookeran said he could not comment specifically on Warner’s open budget request since he was not aware of the details, he supported the T&TFF special adviser.
Sports Minister Roger Boynes has said no Cabinet can approve such a proposal.
Boynes has said there must be a limit as to how much state funds can be spent on the Soca Warriors’ preparations as he must account to the Parliament and the people of T&T on any expenditure of taxpayers money.
“I do know that any proposals that Jack Warner gave in the field of sports and football should be considered seriously,” Dookeran said in a Guardian interview yesterday,
“He has had a track record and I think we should honour people with track records and listen to them carefully. So in that sense, I would be very supportive.”
Dookeran was interviewed after a press conference he held at his St Augustine constituency office where he spoke on another sport—cricket.
Dookeran announced he wrote a letter, dated November 30, to new all-time Test run record holder, Brian Charles Lara, congratulating the batting guru on his recent achievement.
“This is indeed magnificent, remarkable and may be the greatest achievement in the cricketing fraternity,” Dookeran’s letter said.
“In addition to your other remarkable achievements, highest first class score of 501 runs, individual highest score of 400 runs in Test cricket, fastest 11,000 runs in Test cricket, it is only fitting to hear comments made by Australian greats.”
Dookeran invited Lara to his St Augustine constituency office on the batsman’s return to T&T.
Dookeran later told the Guardian, “We will have an appropriate function, if he so agrees, to tell him how very proud we are of him.”