by The Political Watchman

The tumult and the shouting have died. The captains and the teams have now departed.

And we, like the rest of the islands that have played hosts to CWC, have been left with loads of debts for that cricket fiesta.

There are usually three phases in every event. They are (a) the preparation, (b) the staging of the event itself, and (c) the clean-up, when all is ended.

We are, now, in the clean-up stage and while the majority of us were not involved in phases one and two, we are expected to join in cleaning up what was left after the games.  

Since we will be, (or aren't we already) called upon to share that burden, obviously through taxation measures, it would be fitting to be appraised of the weight to  be carried.

In that regard, we expect the government to publish a complete   and detailed report of expenditures associated with the event - cost of the stadium, (we know it was a gift or is it a soft loan from the Chinese, but it has some monetary cost to the donors and an equal value to the recipient), roads and bridges, wages and salaries for workers engaged in projects undertaken specifically for the games, e.g. the Beausejour parking lot.  

The report will also contain the sources of the funding - donations, loans, and general revenue. It will also list gate receipts at the games, monies garnered from franchises and licenses issued. In short, a comprehensive balance sheet should be published, and the credit and debit balances should be clear and  precise.

It would not be sufficient to report on the success or otherwise of the games, or the comfort of the facilities, or the beauty of Grenada, and the hospitality of its people, as seen through the eyes of the players and visitors.

It is interesting to note that the government will be working on logistical plans for activities being staged at the stadium, so says the Minister of  Sports.

This announcement is an obvious recognition that the stadium must itself generate sufficient revenue for its upkeep and maintenance to avoid becoming a drain on the already scarce resources available to government, or simply to be another white elephant and a monument to West Indian politicians grandiose schemes.

Another recent announcement, and a disappointing one at that, concerning the Stadium, had to do with the question of insurance coverage. There will be no insurance coverage of the structure. Located in an area prone to flooding, one would think that at least some basic coverage of that peril would be necessary.

The Cabinet may need to take another look at this matter and revise its thinking and seek coverage against some perils. The current issue relating to the privatisation of National Parks and Protected Areas and perhaps divestiture, in the long run, of Grenadian ownership of these National Parks, provokes some curious observations.

The timing of this piece of  legislation leaves one to wonder if there is any connection to Queen's Park and the stadium, or Mt. Pandy or yet-to-come on stream, Mt. Hartman. One also wonders about the legal implications of conveying to private companies or individuals gifts made to the people of Grenada, Queen's Park for instance.

What about Parks and protected areas acquired by Governments from private concerns in the name of the people and for the people - Levera, Progress Park, Mt. Hartman etc.

In the long run, there may be no national parks and Grenadians
may find Grenada no longer theirs.