National Stadium Mockery Politics

Not so long ago we were told by the Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines that serious consideration was being given to the preparations for the national stadium. Indeed, the author seems to recall that when Ortis jack was heading to the University of the West Indies, St Augustine to do his degree that it had something to do with the stadium. The impression given was that he was somehow to be engaged in studies that would have prepared him for the management of the national stadium. Of course, those of us who have an understanding of the Degree in Sports Management that Jack undertook would know that Facilities Management formed only a very small component of the degree programme and that it could not have sufficed if we were serious about preparing for the national stadium and the broader facilities management of our sorts facilities.
The author believes that indeed, we ‘may lie about certain things’. There is little evidence anywhere in St Vincent and the Grenadines to suggest to the sports enthusiast that we are serious about a national stadium.

Political promise
The need for a national stadium had been raised by several sporting organisations in St Vincent and the Grenadines for a few decades well. The appeal has been made to the government in so far as this is the institution with the resources capable of realisation of so important an undertaking. Unfortunately all appeals have fallen on deaf ears, in reality.
Governments are prone to making promises, especially to voters. The ULP administration has been very conscious of the importance of the youth vote to its success at the polls. It therefore came as no surprise that in the political campaign for the general elections of 2001 the ULP produced a Youth manifesto literally festooned with promises to the young people of St Vincent and the Grenadine swith the primary objective of winning their votes and so catapult the Gonsalves –led organisation into government.
Among the promises made to the youths of St Vincent and the Grenadine sin the first Youth Manifesto was the construction of a national stadium. This promise was repeated time and again by the ruling ULP and featured again in its campaign for elections in 2005. Almost eight years in office and Vincentian youths involved in football, rugby and athletics are yet to be convinced that the national stadium would be realised anytime soon.