National Sports Council ‘ill-equipped’ – PM Gonsalves

Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines Dr Ralph Gonsalves thinks that the current configuration of the National Sports Council, makes it “ill-equipped” to carry out its mandate.{{more}}

Lashing out at the Council at the National Sports Awards Ceremony, which took place last Saturday night at Spring Gardens at Spring Estate, Gonsalves enquired, “How in heaven’s name can the National Sports Council run all the sports facilities in St Vincent and the Grenadines? …And anyone who is on the Sports Council who thinks that, they’re involved in vanity and they are going for personal aggrandisement.

“…. The National Sports Council is ill-equipped to be in charge of the actual management of the maintenance of these facilities.…They don’t have the resources and they don’t have the personnel .…They just simply don’t,” Gonsalves opined.

Speaking on the matter of policy framework, Gonsalves noted: “The law does not say that facilities in St Vincent and the Grenadines must be run on an ongoing basis by the National Sports Council …It was never intended in the law that a wall of separation should be between the National Sports Council and other entities which could assist, except there is a suicide pact between the Sports Council and the other entities.”

Gonsalves argued, “They have to make alliances with other entities to get the work done properly … They have to do it with Lottery, they have to do it with BRAGSA; they have to do it with other ministries, in order to get the work done.”

The Prime Minister suggested that more area management committees should be put in place to oversee some of the facilities.

“How can they stay at Arnos Vale and determine who should play at the field in South Rivers … Anybody who wants to do this is just foolish,” Gonsalves lamented.

The National Sports Council, over the years, has attempted to install area management committees at several of its facilities. However, some have been unable to function for various reasons, including micro-management by personnel on the council.(RT)