Isn’t leadership about the captain being the last to leave the ship?
Something is just not adding up. It’s well established that youth, children and young people follow the example of their elders. These days it’s an uphill battle keeping young people motivated and inspired.
Finding positive role models who can be used as positive examples isn’t an easy task. Where have we gone wrong as a country and society?
Do we have a culture that encourages sacrifice? How do we encourage young people to put aside a sense of entitlement and/or dependency?
Last Friday government and opposition MPs united in parliament to raise their own retirement allowances—29 votes in favour, no votes against.
According to media reports, the decision was based on the desire to provide for those who have served their country through yeoman service at great sacrifice of their own personal circumstances; their family life and their health.
It was said that our parliamentarians had contributed to this country at great personal sacrifices and have shown an unparalleled level of patriotism.
So what about the rest of us? What about the long-suffering population who over the years would have placed collective and individual trust in the legislature and executive to lead and govern us well and put in place policies and action plans that serves the best interest of the nation?
How do we ask young people to make personal sacrifices and to forgo feelings of entitlement and dependency?
Getting to the mountain top and achieving anything of significance, purpose and merit requires sacrifice.
Athletes who dream of ascending to the pinnacle have to work hard and make many sacrifices. Nothing worthwhile can be achieved without toiling upwards through the night. It comes with the territory. Excellence and achievement are demanding task masters.
Everywhere our sportsmen and sportswomen turn, they see and read where it’s one rule for some and another rule for them.
Aren't they patriots? Don’t they make personal sacrifices? Don’t they have families?
How do we ask our youth and young people to contribute to building a nation and a society? How do we ask them to put country before self? How do we ask them to put the welfare of others first? How do we show them how to be great leaders?
Our athletes deserve much better than they are currently getting. Time is not a luxury. Time lost can’t be regained.
The system is failing those who deserve the support the most.
National sport organisations must get together and create a national sport strategy that will define a blueprint for the sustainable development of sport and set out guidelines for the reduction of inequities.
A national sport strategy will provide policy advice and strategic guidance to the nation and ministers of government on policies for sport and physical recreation and also monitor programmes and systems.
It will propose and advocate for sport to be considered as an independent sector and for the economic impact of sport to be recognised.
Sport has proven its ability to have a positive impact on the country's international, regional and continental image.
T&T has a rich sport history. Building on that history is a responsibility not to be taken lightly.
We have been inspired by Rodney Wilkes who won this country’s first Olympic medal when T&T participated in its first summer Olympic Games.
Our success at the London 2012 Olympics created high expectations for more Olympic medal success. Rio 2016 is two years away.
Time is not on the side of our athletes.
There is much that needs to be done. We can’t carry on as if all is well.