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| Ministers Collin Partap, Anil Roberts, Jack Warner and Roodal Moonilal |
The Minister of National Security noted that when compared with the $392 million cost of feeding prisoners, the anti-crime project is an excellent investment.
Warner spoke about the project at a media briefing. He said it is not meant to be the solution or panacea to crime and took the opportunity to slam the opposition, suggesting they have no moral authority to speak about fighting crime.
The minister asked questions about a $13.8 million crime-fighting programme in the Laventille East/Morvant constituency Donna Cox. "Where they spent this money?...Where it went? I am still looking at the files to see if I can find it. I don’t know where the money gone. I will find it. Why aren’t people asking questions about that?”
Warner said the style of the opposition is to denounce everything that the present government does but noted that since the announcement of the programme on Saturday he has not heard “one young person” object to it.
The minister said he estimates that about 1,300 people would participate in the Hoops project with about 286 administrators. He also reiterated that the state did not pay any money to bring basketball icon Shaquille O’Neal to the launch event. He said private sponsorship covered expenses.
Competition begins July 21. The top prize is $1 million for the winning team, a half a million for the team that places second and the third place winner would get a quarter million.
Warner spoke about the project at a media briefing. He said it is not meant to be the solution or panacea to crime and took the opportunity to slam the opposition, suggesting they have no moral authority to speak about fighting crime.
The minister asked questions about a $13.8 million crime-fighting programme in the Laventille East/Morvant constituency Donna Cox. "Where they spent this money?...Where it went? I am still looking at the files to see if I can find it. I don’t know where the money gone. I will find it. Why aren’t people asking questions about that?”
Warner said the style of the opposition is to denounce everything that the present government does but noted that since the announcement of the programme on Saturday he has not heard “one young person” object to it.
The minister said he estimates that about 1,300 people would participate in the Hoops project with about 286 administrators. He also reiterated that the state did not pay any money to bring basketball icon Shaquille O’Neal to the launch event. He said private sponsorship covered expenses.
Competition begins July 21. The top prize is $1 million for the winning team, a half a million for the team that places second and the third place winner would get a quarter million.
However he explained that contrary to the impression being created by critics, this is not about tossing around money. He explained that the winning team would get half of the prize money in equal installments over six months and the other half would be invested in on a project of the winning team’s choice.
Warner also made it clear that the rules are very strict about crime. Anyone charged with a crime during the contest would be disqualified. And it goes beyond that. He said if a member of the winning team is charged after the tournament, the penalty would be the same and that person would not get a share of the prize money.
There will be a steering committee with oversight comprising:
There will be a steering committee with oversight comprising:
- Ministry of National Security
- Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs
- Ministry of Housing
- Ministry of Community Development
- Ministry of the People and Social Development
- National Basketball Federation of Trinidad and Tobago
- Association of Basketball Officials of Trinidad and Tobago
- Regional representatives of the eight regions
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