THE MINISTER of Tourism and Sport, Portia Simpson Miller, is a woman who tells it as it is, she is never one to sit quietly by and accept any and everything and recently she was in the pink of form at the Clarendon Football Association's awards ceremony at the Versalles Hotel in May Pen.
According to a report published in Monday's STAR, minutes after Kingsley Clarke, president of the St. Elizabeth Football Association, had called on the government to get involved and provide top-class facilities for football in rural Jamaica, the Minister got up and told it as it is.
"It is not my style but everytime I hear comments like the government is not doing anything I have to set the record straight," said the Minister, and after admitting it was true there was need for proper facilities but that people should not behave as if nothing had been done for football, after saying the government had tried and its effort should be recognised, she set the record straight.
The record, said the Minister, is that the government has given more than $130 million to the national programme, it has built 30 football fields, it has spent more money on football than all other sports combined, and at a time when sectors like education and health are crying out for more, the Jamaica Football Federation is receiving US$50,000 each month.
Minister Simpson Miller could not have said it better, and it is time those in sport understand that as important as sport is, there is more important things in life, and that regardless of its appreciation of the value of sport to the society, regardless of the best intention, a government can only spend what it can afford.
It is also important that those in sport appreciate the fact that a government, especially a government faced with the problems of educating its people and providing proper health care and housing for its people, cannot spend the people's money on sport at the expense of priorities like education, health care and housing.
on top of that, and as much as football has contributed to the psyche of the nation over the past five years or so, as the Minister said, football has had more than its fair share of the kitty.
Sport is important to a society, no question about that, in this country, at this time of this country's history, football is important, and if the government, the country, can afford to fund football, no problem.
The reality, however, is that this country cannot afford to, and the reality is that football, like any other sport, cannot depend on the government for big funding - for more money than it is already receiving.
Jamaicans love football, it would be nice to see beautiful stadiums around the country and it would be lovely if football in Jamaica could be like football in countries like England and Italy, or like basketball, baseball and football in the United States.
Like all other sports in this country, however, the growth of football must be funded by football. This country, certainly not now, simply cannot afford to fund it - and definitely not at the level those in football would like.
Well said, Minister Simpson Miller. Apart from setting the record straight, as the Minister in charge of sport, no one better could have put things in perspective. On top of that, there are not many in this country who love football more than you, not many who cheer the Reggae Boyz more than you, and there is hardly anyone to whom success on the pitch is as important as it is to you.
Ites, Do you think that a woman should hold such an important position in Jamaican sports? Is it her fault why the Boyz have not gone ahead? This is a man's department some argue. It has been argued that If we had a man in charge of sports, the JFF would produce. But with the little respect that women get in Jamaica ,who will listen to Portia? On the other hand, I've heard it said that if she were put in charge of Health, given a womam's nurturing nature, our health care system would be fit.
Keep your eyes on the prize!
[This message has been edited by rasputin (edited 09-20-2001).]
[This message has been edited by rasputin (edited 09-20-2001).]
Warner getting Italian scouts to arrange trials for T&T U-17 youth, how come Burrell cayar do de same...and all yuh doh want regional cooperation...dotish yes, real dotish!
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Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.
Nuh worry bout JA. Seen that you all love Caribbean integration how come Jack never arrange fi have the neighbours in Bdos, Grenada, St Kitts.... come over as well. Its all about me, myself and I.
Away with Trini and dem self serving "integration".
