Padarath: North Eastern Regional Multipurpose Sport Facility: Kamla’s brainchild
Princes Town MP Barry Padarath through a press release said that the opposition was very happy to see the opening of the North Eastern Regional Multipurpose Sports Facility on O’Joe Road, Sangre Grande. He recalled that this project in Sangre Grande was a brainchild of the former Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar, who felt that for too long areas such as the North Eastern region was starved for facilities that would benefit the youths in the area of Sport.
MP Padarath stated that the former administration had placed a primary focus on Sport and Sport Tourism. The objective was to create a world class facility for aspiring athletes, a centre for recreational purposes, an avenue for employment and an attraction for sport tourism.
He said that it was a proud day for former Persad Bissessar administration to see the doors finally being opened up to the public. The Princes Town MP lamented that several projects undertaken and completed by the former administration was being purposely delayed from opening. He said that he felt it was a strategy being used by the government to give the impression that they did the project since the country has been at a standstill since the new administration took office.
Nonetheless, the Princes Town MP said that he believed the strategy has not worked and the Partnership administration claims ownership of the conceptualization and construction of the facility. He further went on to say that the people of Sangre Grande understand fully that the North Eastern Regional Multipurpose Sports Facility would not have been a reality if it was not for the persistence and diligence of the former Prime Minister and her government.
Padarath reminded the nation that the North Eastern region had produced top sports men and women including our own Olympic gold medalist Keshorn Walcott. He encouraged the government to honor local sporting heroes while they were alive and suggested that the North Eastern Regional Multipurpose Sports Facility be renamed after Walcott.
He thanked all of Trinidad and Tobago athletes at the Olympics for their efforts and reminded them that sometimes their glory does not lie in medals but in the principled positions they take in advancing their disciplines.
He encouraged all athletes to speak out about their experiences, challenges and successes. He reminded them that apart from being sports men and women they were also icons to young people and that they too had a social responsibility to help shape those young minds in our society. He congratulated former Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar for her vision and leadership in the construction of the North Eastern Multipurpose Sports Facility and encouraged citizens to make the best use of it.