Minister Responsible for Sports and Culture Justina Charles has called on Dominicans to take ownership of the sporting facilities which government has made available to them.
Speaking in parliament this week, Charles said that these facilities come at huge costs to government but are often vandalized and neglected for various reasons. She cited political differences as one of those reasons.
“Even when persons are in positions where they can maintain these facilities, they sometimes neglect it. I think predominantly because of their failures and sometimes because of their lack of success in terms of being a winner at the last general elections. Sometimes we do not carry out our roles and we do not continue that patriotism that we profess to be carrying,” she said.
“Very often we see persons vandalize these things and under our watch, nothing is done and when we get into the opposition that is the time we realize Madam Speaker, that work needs to be done on facilities that we had the opportunity to preserve and to protect and maintain,” Charles stated.
The minister stressed that everyone has a role to play in maintaining sporting facilities. She pointed to the difficult tasks involved in seeking funding to erect them.
“I think all of us as Dominicans have a role to play in ensuring that those facilities are maintained, and I am not speaking only of the sports stadium but I am also speaking of the facilities at the district level where money is spent Madam Speaker, by the government to maintain and to upgrade facilities and Madam Speaker, they are to be taken care of,” she said.
Charles called for sensitization of the youth on the matter. She specifically urged opposition officials to educate followers and not allow them to “vandalize the facilities and then turn and call on the government to upgrade the facility.”
“That money (used) in upgrading that facility or repairing the work caused by vandalism can be used in some other way Madam Speaker, to develop the country,” she added.
How can you take ownership of something with a padlock on it at Stock farm when we were told not to go there. But I agree that we need to own things. But that is when they are given to us first instead of Trinidad. Take that.
stupes woman what are u trying to say is opposition followers that vandalises the properties get your facts before pointing fingers remember when u point one finger three more points straight back to u
justina donot know her nose on her face the dubique people ask her for some help for culture she told them she doesnt have a money tree
Good call Ms. Charles but you should have left the politics out of it.
“I think predominantly because of their failures and sometimes because of their lack of success in terms of being a winner at the last general elections. Sometimes we do not carry out our roles and we do not continue that patriotism that we profess to be carrying,” she said. ALAS, ALAS, ALAS, ALAS…..
Well said madam.
Patat, what else do we expect from a potatoe.
Dominicans would agree that Mrs. Charles just lacks the capability, ability, intellect or necessary skills to be effective or perform with any creditability as head of that Ministry. Does the DLP Govt. understand the importance of Sports and Culture in our development?
The weakest politician is given such responsibilities to move our Culture and Sports forward? Do Dominicans really believe that Govt. is interested in our Sports and Culture moving to another level? What plans or new initiatives have the Minister laid on the table or in Parliament as regards the upliftment of Sports?
Our good cultural values are being cast aside. Our values of hard work, koudmen, respect for each other and for the Constitution and Laws are being thrown out of the window. Instead sections of our society condone all sorts of wrong doings and corrupt practices. The society is becoming decultured when concerned citizens are victimized merely for expressing their views about national issues.
Govt. has neglected AGRI-CULTURE Big Time. It is shameful, disgraceful to know that with such a BIG Govt. Sports and Culture, important pillars of our development,are on the downward trend. Unfortunately, the present Minister does not have what it takes to seriously deal with the challenges ahead.
What is happening to the Stock Farm volleyball sports Complex? Tha is a clear example of the incompetence in dealing with the issues of Sports and Culture. The Ministry of Agriculture has a weak minister. the Minstry of Sports and Culture is even weaker. Dominica in serious problem.
Here goes the blame game again. Not one of them is showing us that they are capable of building a bridge so that all Dominicans of all polical colour could stand on. They are failures and instead of thinking of solusions, they all feel that blaming their failure on politics will get the job done.
If politics is the reason why sportting facilities are not being maintained then one would have to tell me why we have that same problem in villages that are almost 99% Red and yet they are not any better. For example, Possie, Grandbay, Vielle-case, cottage, Paix Bouche, calibishie, penville, and so on. These are all strong red villages and yet sports is dead in all of them. Is it because of politics on the side of villagers Mrs. Charles?
In the days of the good Labour Party, Freedom party and UWP, we had sports going on everywhere and politics was not a factor at all. But since this Skerritt led administration came, they killed sports, killed agriculture, killed our communities and although they know that, they still blaming it on politics.
When Skeritt took over, he met a strong cricket league going on in the north, named The Harris Paint, in which people from Dublanc to Laplaine looked foward to every year. Since he became PM and Mano Nanthan became the president, they have done nothing but killed it like other things they put their hands on.
Mrs Charles made mention of facilities that government built but never did she identify any one in any community by name. You talk about blind statements with the view of misleading people!
Our problem in Dominica and with this administration is, they do not have proffessionals and what they have is a set of round pins is square holes. Mrs Charles has been a nurse almost all of her life and one would think that her skills would better served as Minister of Health but where is she? Minister of sports that she has no fire to carry out. Timothy who knows nothing about heath and might even be afraid of visitig a doctor, is minister of health. Timo on the other hand is a lover of sports and is still involved in sports but Skeritt sent him to kill health instead of using him in sports since Skerrit would never put finace in the hand of Timothy. You could look in any of those ministries and you would understand why everything is dead and therefore blaming it on politics is just their way out.
The Viellecase constituency for example always had a cricket, football and domino league under pass pal reps which also extended to Possie and up to Wesley. I am talking about Sorando league, Vervice Bellony league and even Eden Bowers league. Since Skeritt was never a community person, he has not seen the need to have anything that unites people, named after him. So they cannot blame it on politics.
Paix Bouch never had a palrep who was born and lives in Paix Bouche, before Matthew Walter. With the amount of you men that are from Paix Bouche who are very good sports men and they are all labourites, one would think that when Matthew became the Palrep, he would have seen the need to give the people a playing field or some sort of facility to play sports. But he like the others have done nothing for the people. Is it because of politics as well. It took a UWP Government that is just hated in Paix Bouch to build a community center for them.
She is correct, Dominicans have a history of not taking ownership of public preperty regardless of party, it is high time we take ownership and put our country first. Example 1. broken windows and doors in school buildings
Example 2. Gabage all over the place.
Example 3. public rest areas, how many poeple can use a public rest room in Dominica. She is absolutely correct, wake up Dominicans and treat the country like you own house.
I am really feeling sorry for the lady. So this was part of her contribution to the debate.What utter rubbish from the wife of a former PM. My lady go and do your work. We know already that you are publicly embarrassing yourself whenever you make a public speech..You must get a competent person to prepare what you want to say for you, and stop making your family and friends feel ashame.
What utter rubbish. Show us your plan and where you really want to incorporate all people of different colours. You have ostracised the masses now you have to deal with the asses. Before you talk please consult the caretakers of the Geneva Playing field. Here is an example for you.
The minister should be pushing for a national facility for sports such as volleyball, basketball, netball. And put a management committee in place to manage,
community facilities are alway problematic. That would be development.
What is wrong with these people we have representing us?
Lady you are the government. Stop throwing stones at the opposition. You were voted in to lead.
Something must be seriously wrong with this goverment when we have people like Kelvar and that Charles woman prepresenting us.
May the Lord help Dominica.
Madam, when there are successes you want all the glory but when something goes wrong you pin it on the political opposition. This is cheap. Youth not interested in wo built the facilities. Some want to use them, others vandalize them. It is your job to make sure they are maintained and safeguarded. They are are public assets, are they not?
This is nonsense. The thugs who destroy public properties areppliticallymotivated? Vandalism is a sign of young people idle,uneducated,no discipline and a craving attention.
NOT ONLY IS D SPORTING FACILITIES THEY NOT MAINTAINING NUH BUT ALSO THOSE KIDS AND ADULTS DAT HAVE D AIDS/HIV.
CHUPES,,,,,,,,COMMUNITY LEADER MY ROYAL1111
this is coming form the widow of a former PM who reminded us that we Dominican’s wear ignorance as a badge of honor.
Well spoken…..show your ignorance maam…..bring politics into it right on the Parliament floor……
i live in Stock Farm….use ur office and ask my Parl. Rep. Mr. Timothy what are his plans for the sporting complex (Loreen bannis Stadium) sitting like a white elephant up there……is it being neglected because of politics????…..When last have your sports office visited that site and sit with my Parl. rep to strategise some sports development for the youths of his constituency….
talk about lack of maintenance and utter neglect…how many years now??? How many years more? Tell me do the Chinese have plans for it??????
really mrs charles?
do you have statistics to back this up?
or u just looking to lay the blame far away from you miserable excuse for a government?
true true. madame minister. I support you 100%
When they solicit assistance for these facilities they need to ensure that there are funds for maintenance, upkeep and security. Too, people need to realize that these facilities (regardless of which gov’t erected them) are there for their benefits. So if they are destroyed, they are the ones losing. There’s no guarantee that the gov’t or situation they desire will attend to their needs if the situation changes. To me this is self hate. And it’s stupid.
What utter rubbish u’re using the parliament for?Can u not wait till u’re on a campaigne platform?U are in office and it’s your responsibilityto ensure that there are adequate facilities for sporting.U are also responsible for the upkeeping and maintenance of the facilities.Give people jobs in security of the sporting facilities and the upkeeping thereof.
i quite agree – utter rubbish. government generally has a poor record when it comes to maintenance of public facilities.
it’s good politics to announce the building of a new facility – but there has to be funds put aside to maintain them.
madame minister here is my advice – all ministers should stop travelling like zoh toe la on taxpayers’ money for all kinds of shit and use the people’s money to provide for their needs.
and at the same time the people should learn to appreciate those facilities too
Nice Call Madamme Minister