Source: http://www.trinidadexpress.com

Chee Ping accounting for taxpayers' money
By Mark Pouchet

Rhett Chee Ping, newly-appointed chairman of the Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SPORTT), said his main job is to trim the waste and professionalise the operations of the state-run company.

Prior to and after the May 24 general election, the People's Partnership's spokespersons have berated the wanton spending and lack of proper checks and balances of taxpayers' money at SPORTT.

Expenses included $55 million for the 2009 Caribbean Games which never came off and an estimated $500-million loan for the incomplete Tarouba Stadium that put the cost at more than $1 billion for the UDeCOTT project originally priced at $275 million.

All amidst an ongoing forensic audit of SPORTT ordered by Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Anil Roberts.

Against this background, the former national swimmer, rugby player and coach has emerged at the helm.

"Firstly I had no intention of ever going there," said Chee Ping recently. "I got a phone call from Anil, and this was just when he got into office, asking if I would be interested.

"I basically told him no because I think I had too much on my plate and I would not be able to give the time that I had and he just asked me to think about it, to turn in my resume if I was interested in serving and I said I would, just to see if anything would come about."

On October 7, Chee Ping said he learnt of his appointment when Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced a list of State board chairmen.

Chee Ping, a former clubmate and swimmer with the Minister of Sport, as well as a schoolmate at Fatima College, said his business background will impact more on how he attempts to oversee the operations of SPORTT.

"I think what I have to bring is business acumen to the SPORTT. Yes, I think my sporting background will help in where I would like to or where needs help, but I think the company needs to run like a business.

"If the NSOs (national sporting organisations) want us to be professional and expect us to disburse funds to them, I believe they should be professional in dealings with us. I am talking about their reporting back to us. I don't expect a report once a year, I expect a report once a quarter, and you would be held accountable for the funds," he stressed.

"If I ask you to do something, you do it on that specific date just like any other business. To me, once we get that rolling, I think everybody will be on the same page. You want funds, I will disburse funds, but I also expect that you account for every single cent that I give you."

Chee Ping stated that the SPORTT chief executive officer would execute and implement the plan and the former triathlete would expect the companies contracted to maintain the country's stadiums would do their job.

"Why are we still having to spend $20, 30, 40 million to get the stadia upgraded for the FIFA Women's Under-17 World Cup (which was hosted in T&T in September). What was going on? What was being done with this money? Was anybody looking on to see? So I think it is more of a business acumen that has to come as compared with the sporting acumen," he stated.

Chee Ping added he recently received the organisational chart of SPORTT and believed there are more than enough staff to conduct the operations.

But does he foresee any cost-cutting exercise that can reduce the company's wage bill?

"Everybody needs to be held accountable and there are reports coming in, and I think from what I'm seeing, I don't think we are going to run in and make any cuts. I don't know if within the time the Board wasn't present between May and now, I don't know if the Ministry of Sport, they were running closely with SPORTT, if they or the now Minister were making any cuts," he replied.

Chee Ping said he planned to implement some of the corporate best practice governance at SPORTT, which under the previous administration saw un-audited accounts for more than three years, un-ratified bye-laws, and huge, unaccounted sums of money.

"To me, that's why I want to see quarterly reporting. If I see quarterly reporting, that's how I will know if the money is being disbursed properly. If you take a year to give me, I'm not sure. I don't know how much has been disbursed, where it has been disbursed.

"It's just a check and balance for you and SPORTT to see where the money is going and if we are getting value for money. If we are not getting value for money and we're pumping money into sports, to me I'm not seeing the gold medals coming...and not even the golds but the top eight finishes, and it's not there.

"Is it a problem of do we pump more money, or is something wrong with coaching programmes. We have to see if we're getting value," he said.

Chee Ping said his biggest aim is moving forward with the development of the SPORTT mandate to implement elite level sporting programmes by putting the proper procedures and guidelines in place.

He said he will consult with all the members of his board--which includes a lawyer, marketing people, and sports scientists--to make sure every detail is considered.

And as he is doing with the SPORTT staff and administration, he will hold them accountable.

"I can't see whereby before the chairman and the executive chairman made the decisions without any recommendations from the board. I mean that's what you put a board there for, so that everyone can air their concerns and if there is an issue, the issues are dealt with so you can move forward. So it's a whole consensus to move forward and not just one person dropping the hammer down. That's how we are going to operate and hopefully we'll get it right for the country," he concluded.