Cudjoe: Pull yuh hand for Mahaica Complex

Minister of Sport Shamfa Cudjoe, second from left, turns the sod for the Mahaica Sports Complex with 
Minister of National Security Retired Major Edmond Dillion, left, and Deputy Mayor  Kennedy Richards at Point Fortin yesterday. Looking on at right is CEO of UDECOTT Frank Barnes.
Minister of Sport Shamfa Cudjoe, second from left, turns the sod for the Mahaica Sports Complex with Minister of National Security Retired Major Edmond Dillion, left, and Deputy Mayor Kennedy Richards at Point Fortin yesterday. Looking on at right is CEO of UDECOTT Frank Barnes.

THE sod was turned yesterday for the long awaited Mahaica Sports complex in Point Fortin which will be completed in 13 months and is expected to cost approximately $40 million.

In delivering the feature address at the sod turning ceremony, Cudjoe advised UdeCoTT, who will oversee the project, to “pull your hand” during the construction phase, and told Point Fortin residents to “mind your business” to ensure that the project was delivered on time and in budget.

Speaking to reporters after the ceremony, Cudjoe said, “‘Pull your hand’ means work, work, work first and make sure the work is done on time and when I say ‘mind your business’ it takes the cooperation of both the residents of your area and the contractor and it’s just not the contractor that gets the work done, it’s the people of the village, the Point Fortin borough has to also provide the necessary support.”

She added, “The different stakeholders in the area, sometimes you can have different things coming up and people getting in the way of the project moving, so its takes everybody to mind their business, know what they are responsible for and to provide a proper environment for work to go on.”

Cudjoe explained, “We’ve seen in the past on certain projects where you’ve had the blocking of roads, the burning of tyres, so we just want to make sure the project is kept peaceful, that we have no criminal elements trying to interfere with the progress of the project.”

National Security Minister Edmund Dillon, who is also Point Fortin MP, asked whether crime had affected the attendance at sporting activities.

“Like any other situation we have to put security measures in place which we will do in any event, any public event we always boost up our security; if there is football games in the night, the local enforcement body will provide the necessary security for the event to take place in a safe and secure environment,” he said.

And with the World Cup scheduled to begin today, Dillon said his choice to take the coveted trophy is five-time champions Brazil.

“My team, as long as Trinidad and Tobago isn’t in the World Cup, my team has always been and will be Brazil – that has been my team and I feel that Brazil have a good (chance).

They have a chance this year, with the talent, I believe we have a chance,” he said.

And which team does Cudjoe support? “I want to be honest with you,” she said laughingly, “I’m a bandwagonist, I support who win, I go to the different sports bars in Tobago with my friends for the lime and I back whoever we think winning that day.”

Comments

"Cudjoe: Pull yuh hand for Mahaica Complex"

More in this section