clevon_raphael@hotmail.com
THE bad news minister
Before training his firing power on Warner, Hunt angered boxing fans with his inept handling of the Salandy world title fight.
Then there was the spat with a top karate official.
Some of his actions do not inspire confidence in his statements.
Does T&T stand a realistic chance of reaching the finals of the 2010 football World Cup in South Africa?
And is this Government on a path of deliberately keeping the country divided on the altar of political expediency?
As pedestrian or vacuous as these questions may sound, it is important that we examine, in a dispassionate manner, these possible scenarios before jumping to conclusions one way or the other.
In this regard I am returning to the unseemly imbroglios Sports Minister Gary Hunt has neatly carved out for himself with certain sporting elements.
According to local parlance, he jus’ ups and buying fight with these groups, most notably the T&T Football Federation of which Fifa vice-president Jack Warner is the chief honcho.
Before training his firing power on Warner, whose contribution to football is undeniably the most envious in the region for any individual, this nice Mr Hunt angered boxing fans with his inept handling of the Giselle Salandy world title fight.
Despite concerted attempts by her handlers to have her train at the state-of-the-art facilities paid for by taxpayers, Giselle made this country proud—again—without the full and timely support of this nice Mr Hunt’s ministry.
Then there was this spat with a top karate official who wanted to bring to these shores for another time, international experts to coach our young karatekas, among other things.
The venture was placed in jeopardy by this nice Mr Hunt’s reported refusal to honour an agreement made by his predecessor to assist in the financial sponsorship of the programme.
Too many sporting administrators have been forced to appear on radio talk shows berating the lack of support from this nice Mr Hunt or his ministry in their respective organisation’s plans and projects.
In this line-up is boxing promoter Buxo Potts, who, while criticising the minister, unashamedly boasts he still supports the ruling PNM.
If this nice Mr Hunt can treat one of his “own” (politically) that way, you can imagine what he had, or has, in store for Mr Warner, his political nemesis, and by extension the footballers of this nation.
Although he has repeatedly declared his and the Government’s good intentions for the local sporting world, some of his actions do not inspire confidence in his statements.
His latest salvo in the football arena has cast doubts on T&T hosting the under-17 women’s international football tournament here.
The above is by no means the sum of the misadventures this nice Mr Hunt has managed to chalk up in less than one year at the helm of the Sports Ministry.
Up to about three weeks ago, I was under the impression that he was a lone maverick looking for, and shooting at, imaginary enemies.
That was until the self-confessed second father of the nation, Prime Minister Patrick Manning, threw his lot in with that nice Mr Hunt. Referring to the row between his Sports Minister and Mr Warner, Manning told his captive female audience at the recent annual conference of his party’s women’s league:
“Hunt takes on the lion. The lion feel he got away this time. He didn’t get away you know.”
I was deeply disappointed, hurt really, and horrified to hear our Prime Minister utter such a statement against a man who, whether you like him or not, has done so much for football and footballers, regularly using his own funds.
Manning’s statement I found to be extremely inappropriate for any head of government, particularly in a non-election period.
I have always maintained that it is our right to support any political party during an election campaign, but after the fat lady has sung and the people have chosen a government, that’s it until the next five years.
Such divisive language from our Prime Minister is, to say the least, unbecoming of a nation’s leader, especially at this time when the country needs to come together if we are get rid of the several demons bewitching our beloved homeland.
The Prime Minister, instead of calling his nice Mr Hunt quietly aside and telling him to change his unnecessary confrontational course, eggs him on with such a silly and provocative statement.
In fact, if I were Mr Warner, I would feel quite uneasy with such words coming from the Prime Minister.
But unlike me, Mr Warner is made of sterner stuff and can handle Mr Manning and that nice Mr Hunt, who, if he continues on this destructive course, is destined to leave a legacy not worth remembering.
The thing about the minister’s inexplicable modus operandi is that I honestly believe he has the nation’s sporting development at heart.
So that when writing this I thought I was being a bit too harsh on the minister but after his conduct in the House of Representatives last Friday evening, I am now more than ever convinced that he is extremely bad news, not only for the sporting movement but ultimately the country.