The Federation’s youngest elected parliamentarian, Hon. Konris Maynard, has accused Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Youth and Sports, Hon. Shawn Richards of being “a sleeping and out of touch minister,” for admitting he was not aware that the St. Kitts Under-15 Cricket Team, which won the Leeward Islands Championship in his hometown of Sandy Point last year, was not able to travel to defend their title over the Easter weekend. This year tournament matches were played in Anguilla and St. Maarten.
With millions and millions of surplus dollars that Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris claims, are in the Treasury, some could have been utilised to ensure the youngsters retain the cricket championship they won in Sandy Point, Richards has been representing for 13 years in the National Assembly.
In response to Maynard’s criticism last week Wednesday, Minister Richards told media houses he knew nothing about the tournament in Anguilla as no correspondence reached his desk.
“I wasn’t aware of it. There had been no discussions with the St. Kitts Cricket Association. When I was told what was said, immediately I called my Permanent Secretary- that’s the most senior technical officer within the Ministry. He in turn called the Director of Sports to see if perhaps the information had reached before the Director but for one reason or the other hadn’t reached before him; and I think that is the responsible thing to do. I am not God. I do not know everything and I will not pretend to know everything. If it is that information comes before me and I neglect or refuse to respond, then that is a totally different situation, and as such I would accept responsibility because it would mean that I would have refused to act. I would have been negligent in terms of my responsibility to the people of St. Kitts and Nevis,” said Richards.
But MP Maynard, who represents West Basseterre, stood his ground on Wednesday’s Issues programme.
“This shows that the minister does not care one iota about Sports in the country. It shows that he is completely out of touch with what is going on in sport development in this country and in particular youth sport. It shows that he is ignorant as it is his role as Minister of Sports to ensure that these things happen,” said Maynard, who pointed out that it is Richard’s Ministry that hires coaches to train the youngsters in the schools.
“It is the Ministry of Sports that has a sports development programme. What are these programmes for, if the athletes they are paid to train cannot compete in regional competitions? What are these programmes for if the ministry has no idea that a Leeward Islands competition takes place every year around the Easter holidays?,” said Maynard.
“Had this being a caring and in touch ministry, with a serious minister, the Ministry would have stepped in to ensure that the nation of St. Kitts and Nevis was well represented at the tournament,” said Maynard, who was of the view that if the Association was experienced financial difficulties “an in-tuned minister would have tapped into the nation’s resources.”
Maynard told Minister Richards that his excuse that he never received any correspondence on the matter is lame, when he is most present at carnival celebrations in the Caribbean and beyond.
“No one has to remind Hon. Shawn Richards when carnival is in Trinidad and Tobago. No one has to remind him where the next party is. No one has to remind him of the carnivals in (New York) United States; (Toronto), Canada or St. John’s, Antigua. So what letter are you waiting for to do your job as Minister of Sports,” said Maynard. “It is shameful that the tournament last year was held in Sandy Point – in his backyard in St. Kitts.”
The first-term parliamentarian informed listeners that a meeting was held Wednesday morning between the Department of Sports and the St. Kitts Cricket Association to arrange a match between a St. Kitts Under-15 Cricket Team and the Nevis Under-15 Cricket Team to give the local cricketers to become eligible for selection to the Leeward Islands Under-15 squad. Nevis was not represented at the Anguilla tournament.