Response to Untold Truth

Dec 21, 2008 Sports

Dear Editor,
It was intriguing reading the article by your young reporter, Mr. Edison Jefford, “The Untold Truth”. The reason is that I was getting the impression that I was the odd man pointing out that the “Kashif and Shanghai’s Final Switch” was more of a business decision rather than one of philanthropic dimensions.
Please read my letter to the Directors after they wrote many of us in the Town explaining their already made decision and inviting us to a meeting, to discuss how we could assuage the painful exodus of the final and giving our support.
In my missive you will see that I stated that from the position of Chairman of the IMC, it precludes me from accepting the decision as it was bound to have an effect on business and the general feeling of ownership on the part of residents.
It was therefore hypocritical if I had graced the occasion with my presence to give blessings to the directors for their decision.
One editorial referred to my statement that the MSC has a cultural imprint which the Stadium would take much time to achieve and may never match, as simply emotional, which was not the essence of getting the MSC fixed.
Mr. Jefford I believe, easily observed that bringing the matter to the attention of the Government and others was a walk in the park for the organizers, because of their proven ability to get large chunks of sponsorship from both public and private sector agencies. So, to whose attention is the switching of the final intended to attract?
Very early in this year (March or thereabout) an attempt was made to find a scapegoat. At Watooka House and in the presence of the Head of NICIL, CEO-Linmine Secretariat, Regional Chairman, Fund manager-LEAF and others, the head of LEAP indicated that information was circulating that the Town Council was slow in approving the MSC’s rehabilitation Plan, thus losing out on valuable funding from LEAP. I felt pilloried even though I knew that that information was farthest from the truth.
Fast forward seven months later to the press conference on October 25, 2008, once more the attention was focused on blaming others for the decision made at which Mr. Neil Fraser of LEAP was quoted in the press as throwing some salvoes of his own. Let us examine this a bit closer.
Mr. Rawle Blair of MSC said LEAP indicated that the financial year was at an end and so the promised funding for the rehabilitation was no more. Now I am closer than the average John to the project (LEAP) and I know that funding for projects are determined through a work plan produced and submitted months before, as part of the planning process.
We all went through a big, log frame training exercise on the LEAP project as major stakeholders here and so these projects would have been earmarked, put up, discussed and accepted at the Advisory and steering committee levels. I came off the Advisory Committee in May 2007 when the fifth work programme was being finalized and I am not aware that MSC’s rehabilitation was in the list of projects.
If there was an adjustment later on then at least Regional Chairman Mingo and then Chairman of the Advisory group, Sam Wright should have been aware. Both of them told me they were not aware and even though a low blow was thrown at the press conference on someone who shot down the project at the Advisory meeting, it was intended for the belly of the Regional Chairman. I am therefore calling on these two gentlemen to state their sides on this issue. An auspicious organization such as LEAP should not be used to hoodwink the community on such an indigenous matter.
Moreover, I call on Mr. Fraser to explain the following:
1. Tell us where in the fifth work programme we can find the rehabilitation of the MSC.
2. Remind us when this matter was ventilated at the Advisory group meeting.
3. If such sums were earmarked and approved for the improvement of economic infrastructure (which is the head under which this money can be spent for the MSC) then where is the money and where was it diverted to?
Please remember that LEAP for one reason or another was suffering from serious cash flow strains during 2007 when several projects were delayed and so it boggles the mind that this project was carried so far and not to its logical conclusion.
When people’s reputation and character are impugned and mutilated in this fashion, it behoves Messrs. Wright, Mingo and Fraser to come clean and public with their sides.
Nuff Respect
Orrin Gordon

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