Rene Baptiste – the Minister of Sport?

Since then the Ministry of Tourism has been removed from under Minist
er Baptiste and placed in the hands of Glen Beache. He has also been given responsibility for sport. It therefore seems more appropriate and in accordance with due protocol that the matter of Cuban coaches coming to St Vincent and the Grenadines be dealt with by the Minister and Ministry responsible for sport in tandem with the national governing body for the sport.

Get it right
There is a need for very clear guidelines to be established in respect of how sport is to be organised and developed in this country at the governmental level. We cannot have ministers appearing to be at cross purposes. We also cannot have the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing.
The venture by Minister Baptiste into the realm of the sport of boxing must be channelled in the proper direction. Due recognition and respect must be accorded the different national sports associations which engage in a daily struggle to keep the respective sporting disciplines alive.
Minister Beache needs to meet with national sports associations and agree on the implementation of the sports protocol with Cuba in a manner that speaks to the overall development strategies of the sporting disciplines that can most benefit.
We must have a principled, cohesive and participatory approach to the sport development process in much the same way that we are expected to fashion the broader national development process.