CWC 2007 and Caribbean leadership
Here in St Vincent and the Grenadines we are still at the stage of wondering when for many
things.
The work on the double-decker stand has not yet begun. The existing work at the Arnos Vale facility is gong nowhere and slow. The pace of work generally is frightening and there is so much work to be done in the little time left.
The grounds are yet to be turned up. We are told that the grass at Sion Hill will be taken up and carried to be replanted at the Stubbs Playing Field. The grass at Arnos Vale will be taken to Sion Hill and then Arnos Vale will be the beneficiary of imported grass.
This all takes time and there is not much of it left.
At the same time the tardiness in the entire process has by itself turned up significant changes in the budget and more surprises may well be in the offing. As is the case with some of the other countries involved, the monies do not drop from trees nor ooze up from the ground.
Major challenges
Given the proud boasts of the regional governments about hosting this event and its significance in terms of their respective and collective international images, they have little choice but to come up with the necessary funds regardless of how difficult that may be at this time.
The decision by Owen Arthur to take over as the man in charge of World Cup Preparations in Barbados is but the tip of a very dangerous iceberg flowing through the Caribbean. It is not that we do not have the people with the know-how. It is instead that we have in almost every case without exception played politics with the appointments. What we are currently experiencing is a consequence that is all too familiar, only this time it bodes international embarrassment if we fail.
The eagerness with which many of our regions political leaders seek to convince themselves and their respective populations of their international statuses is suddenly ebbing. It is not a good sight and we are all likely loses if it comes to the worse.