Margaret Morris, Contributor
GLORY BE! Bruce scored! Not exactly a century, but not his habitual ducks either. For the first time in many moons the Leader of the Opposition has managed to open his mouth without putting his foot into it. Divine intervention you think? Perhaps the good lord felt that the contest was too unequal.
Here is Sister P getting minimal flak, and tsunamis of praise and support - it is a situation that could cause a bad attack of the virus hubris when even Mutty is being kind to her. And there was Bruce, acting like a real 'wuss'. So perhaps it was Big Massa that suggested to him that he bowl a few googlies at the Government's latest colossal mistake.
Given a choice between spending US$100 million on early childhood education or any other urgent social problem and hosting Cricket World Cup next year what would you do? Mr. Golding says he would have opted for the kids. No rational, right thinking Jamaican could disagree with him on that.
PERPLEXING
On the other hand, considering the overwhelming (though perplexing) popularity of cricket among voters, the world class mindset of the Cabinet, and their naïveté about tourism, it is obvious that the Cricket World Cup was bound to be the choice of the Government.
Thus, early o'clock the planning began and the brains-trust set about creating a soon-to-be national asset as a monument to their strange sense of national priorities. Thus, a huge World Cup cricket stadium, is rearing its head in back-a-bush Trelawny, built by PNP cronies on agricultural land and doubtless without an Environmental Impact Assessment. Finance Minister Omar Davies warns us that this great national asset "is going to have to be maintained."
By who? By you. With what? With what we have not.
It is a scary situation. Will Omar have to resume his begging rounds to London, Paris, Milan and perhaps further east to borrow some more expensive money? Or will he be able to get it at home by just increasing the GCT?
It is reasonable to predict that like every other project that Government initiates, the entire Cricket World Cup budget (estimated at US$100 million) is going to experience huge cost overruns. It is impossible to predict how much will be earned by sale of tickets (estimate US$10 million). And no one will ever be able to quantify the dollar value (tourism, investment) of the ensuing international publicity that the Government expects.
SAFE BET
It is a safe bet though, that this expensive new national asset is destined to become, in time, another white elephant. Meanwhile the fine Georgian Courthouse in Falmouth has been in an advanced state of decay for several years and will remain so indefinitely. The motto "Cricket? "YES!!" Justice! "What's that??" should be engraved somewhere on the Trelawny edifice.
So let us take comfort in the fact that Mr. Golding has got over his sulks about the captured seats, rested his 'Boom Bye Bye' comments about not wanting gays in his Cabinet and turned his attention, albeit belatedly and in muted tones, to the current colossal mistake. Because it looks like we may be in for quite a few more.
As a self-appointed watchbird assiduously monitoring Sister P, I am getting a little apprehensive. Let's face it; some of her Cabinet choices were very disappointing. There is Paulwell, Minister of Youthful Exuberance with his hand still on the trigger at Energy and Industry; Omar, budget wrecked by Cricket World Cup and polishing up his world class begging bowl to venture out anew; and Pickersgill still at the helm of the mega money-spending Ministry, still, perhaps, dreaming of new highways or an airport or two but completely oblivious to the horrendous condition of the vast majority of roads islandwide.
None of this is in the least bit re-assuring. Not to us the non-aligned, the fence-sitters, the floating voters who wish to see positive change in our political culture, and will make our mark for what we perceive as the lesser of two evils.
I'm so glad I got re-verified. Who wants to live in a one-party state anyway?
Margaret Morris is a freelance journalist who writes from Trelawny.
