Friday, November 6 2009

TWO million dollars seems to be an extraordinary price to pay for a flag and its accessories. The admission of this price-tag for the flag, flag-pole and base, raises many questions.

Firstly, why has it taken a whole week — since last week’s post Cabinet media conference until this Thursday — for the Government to simply confirm the $2 million figure that had initially been raised by a media house?

When asked to confirm or deny the cost last week, Sport Minister Gary Hunt said he did not know, but simply replied that the installation of the flag had involved a lot of work. Hunt had claimed, “There is no price on national pride.”

Well, better late than never, we are glad that Mr Kenneth Charles, chairman of the sports company of Trinidad and Tobago (sportT) has finally cleared the air to confirm the cost — albeit of $2 million — at a media conference on Wednesday held with the minister of sport, gary Hunt, who left it to Mr Charles to give the facts. Charles said the fabric of the flag cost $18,000, while the flagpole cost $932,400 and the foundation and installation works cost $940,000.

Mr Charles also disclosed that the flag would have to be replaced every six months at a cost of $18,000, which we calculate would add up to a tidy sum over the years. Would any additional maintenance work need to be done periodically on the flag-base and/or flag-pole, at any further cost, we ask?

The flag was erected before the burst of national pride following what many citizens regarded as a “victory” of sorts by the TT Cricket Team in placing second in the recent Airtel Twenty20 Cricket Tournament in India, behind New South Wales.

In the heady atmosphere of these post-tournament celebrations, Hunt claimed such a symbol of national pride was needed to reflect a “deep sense of national pride.” However, isn’t there an irony in this large expenditure to celebrate national pride? The flag was hoisted before the national team’s success in India, so did the Government anticipate their success? And if so, why did the team rely on sponsorship by a private Indian company, Venky’s, amid reports that funding from the Trinidad and Tobago Government was merely a retroactive reimbursement of costs?

Some might even say the red flag is actually a big red herring.

Even though the flag is now a done deal, other basic questions still loom.

Was a flag of this size and of this cost, necessary? Could it have been smaller and less costly? Will this $2 million flag actually do what Mr Hunt hopes it will — inspire citizens to patriotism — or not? In fact, some might argue that if the flag is seen as unnecessary and wasteful extravagance, it may actually have the opposite effect and inspire scorn and anger. Should the money have been better used to provide practical ways to help citizens, whether funding a child’s surgery or building a playground in a crime-ridden or neglected area?

There are also questions as to the decision to erect the flag. Who decided? When? Is it affordable in the National Budget given the economic downturn? Despite reports at Wednesday’s media conference that the contract was awarded to Fireworks One ahead of two rival bidders, one may still ask the basic question as to whether the flag represents good value for money and in fact whether the flag was the best way to spend $2 million?

Critics might say that this is yet another example of a special purpose State company acting off its own bat to make an extravagant expenditure with little or no prior consultation with stakeholders.

Surely, by contrast, a little more accountability by the State to the public would go a long way to boosting people’s feelings of national belonging and national pride.