Tony Becca, Contributing Editor
Shivnarine Chanderpaul (left), former captain of the West Indies, chats with Ricky Ponting, captain of Australia, at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia, on November 2, 2005. - CONTRIBUTED
THE OPPOSITION, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), through its leader Bruce Golding, on Tuesday questioned the Government's decision to spend some US$100 million to host the 2007 World Cup of cricket, and especially so following the disclosure by Finance Minister Dr. Omar Davies that the country stands to earn a mere US$9 million on its investment.
NOT TRYING TO MAKE AN ISSUE
According to Golding, he is not trying to make an issue out of it. He simply has a difficulty with it, with a balanced budget target that has now split significantly, with a debt that has increased far beyond what was projected for this year, and with pressing social demands.
Where were Mr. Golding and the JLP, not so much when the tournament was offered to the West Indies, not so much when the governments of the region all agreed to support it financially, not so much when many Jamaicans were expressing their opinion that Jamaica and the West Indies were biting off more than they could chew - more than they could afford, but more so, some three years ago, when the plans, and the cost, including that of a new stadium in Trelawny, were being discussed?
Unless they did not read, did not listen and therefore did not know, that was the time, and for some time afterwards, not only to voice their objections to the cost, but also, if necessary, to block such expenditure.
At that time, and even up to recently, Jamaica could have been replaced as one of the venues, and if for whatever reason, the tournament could not have been hosted by the West Indies without the participation of Jamaica, at that time the tournament could have been shifted to somewhere else.
Apart from the embarrassment to the people of Jamaica and the West Indies that such a move would cause, right now, it is too late for that and it is too late because of the time left to the World Cup, it is too late because of the amount of money that has already been spent, and regardless of the opposition and the relevance of the opposition, it is as simple as that.
On top of that, if Jamaica were to pull out now, not only would so much money go down the drain, but Jamaica would be the laughing stock of the region.
