Motor racing deserves much more Govt. investment

Nov 26, 2010 Letters

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Dear Editor,
I read the letter, “GMR&SC should return the $40M,” by Name and address supplied (SN 11-24-10). The writer made three arguments which I would like to rebut.  He/she wrote, “Drive around the country and one will see miles of minor roads in terrible condition.” It was also written, “Surely the race track must be the last road to be paved in this country once all the other roads are repaired.” Both statements are factual. We do have many bad roads and the race track is the last one to be repaired.
The PPP has been in government for 19 years and it has expended huge sums of money on road construction and repairs. The problem is that such works were substandard and shoddy and so the roads quickly deteriorated. In fact many of the roads, such as Bella Dam, were repaired multiple times.
On the other hand the last time the race track was paved was 40 years ago around 1970. It is only now in 2010 that President Jagdeo has “given” the club some money to do some repairs and it is not a free gift. It comes at a time when President Jagdeo is courting cheap popularity and political support for his third term bid in 2011. So it is not as if a favour was done to the GMR&SC.
I now move on to the third point that was made. The writer stated, “If they have a conscience they would return the donation with a polite note that they would like the funds spent on roads that actually take people and produce places.” If his/her criteria for funding roads is that roads must “take people and produce places”, then there is no need to return the $40M since the GMR&SC meets the criteria.
It stands to reason therefore that the club should be given much more funds. Motor racing boosts the local businesses and economy several times annually, especially in November when we host the last round of the Caribbean Championship. Motor racing does more for tourism and the economy than any other sport, and I dare say any government agency. For details of how the sport boosts the economy please see Bryan McIntosh’s post on SN blog of 11-24-10. I now wish to make a few points of my own.
Whilst it true that generally it is the wealthy who own and race cars it must be pointed out that there are a few working class guys who also race, and that on any given race day in any part of the world the spectators who are working class folks will out number the wealthy ones by 100 to 1. Just as chariot racing was the largest spectacle in the ancient civilisations in India, China, Middle East, and Europe, so too is motor racing today. The poor and working class folks are the biggest fans of motor racing and they spend their hard earn bucks to see and support their drivers, cars, and teams.
This brings me to the matter of national pride.
Motor racing inspires national pride in all the people regardless of social status or class or ethnicity. No matter where people live they turn out to support either a driver of their own country or the national team. At the world level whereever Formula One races are staged the British, French, Italians, Germans, and Brazilians all support their own, so too in
the Caribbean where large contingents of Jamaicans, Trinidadians, Barbadians, Surinamese, and other overseas Guyanese flock South Dakota to support their teams. More Guyanese return home for racing than they do for Mash. Motor racing has become part of our heritage and culture over the past 60 years. It is one endeavour in which all Guyanese unite and rally around our drivers and teams. It stands to reason therefore that Government should allocate money to develop the track.
Any government funding must be seen as an investment in Guyana’s ailing economy. Motor racing gives a big boost to tourism anywhere in the world and governments do spend to enhance racing facilities.
Even in economic superpowers such as USA, Japan, and Canada, “the wealthy drivers” cannot afford to build their own tracks. The governments always invest in building the tracks. Remember the PPP Government spent US$60M on the 2007 World Cup Cricket which was a one time event. Motor racing on the other hand has only now received a paltry $40M for the first time in 40 years. Yet racing attracts more tourists than cricket does, and it spurs the local economy.
The $40M is inadequate to effect proper and correct repairs to the track and so substandard work will be done which will last no more than three years just like all the roads that the PPP built or repaired in the past 19 years. Guyanese should demand that Government do the decent thing and allocate sufficient funds to effect repairs that would last another 40 years.
Malcolm Harripaul

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