SVG -the home of hospitality

Meeting deadlines, planning sessions, the bickering and the on going assessments of this country’s readiness to host official Cricket World Cup warm up matches are over, as it’s time for execution.

For the next eight days Vincentians’ capacity to stage an event requiring international standards will be tested.{{more}}

Our ability to deliver services of the highest quality will be exposed, as players, officials, media personnel and visitors mainly from Australia, Bermuda, England and Zimbabwe descend on these shores.

What is upon us is the opportunity to showcase St. Vincent and the Grenadines to the wider world; an opportunity that is a rarity as such an event may not come our way in the immediate future.

The snags, the slip-ups, shortcomings, and political differences that threatened to derail the lead up to the March 5 to 9 undertaking should find no place during the upcoming days.

Some events, whether co-incidental or deliberately obstructive in nature that took place prior to the arrival of the four teams earlier this week, magnify the gaping political divide and insensitive and impetuous decisions taken by some of our leaders. After all each will choose every occasion to score political points.

The tardiness and sometimes nonchalance of persons charged with delivering the facilities at the Arnos Vale Playing Field on time make the idea of national pride a far-fetched notion.

The expressions of a regional journalist, however objective he may want to be, on the state of preparedness of this country’s main cricket venue perpetuates the insularity that exists in Caribbean cricket circles.

Yet it is almost paradoxical for us to say that cricket is a unifying force for West Indian people.

But we are able to rise to challenges having perfected the art of masquerading; hence we should not foresee stumbling blocks erected, but a total team effort as we advertise our country.

We are a resilient people and are expected to subdue our inner feelings for the next few days.

Adopting to the new security, new measures, traffic regulations, prohibitions, restrictions and general disruptions of normal Vincentian life are anticipated to be met with readied compliance.

We all stand to benefit from the experience, as the demands will leave positive impressions and it should not be business as usual the way we do things from here on in.

But the success of the venture will be measured following the warm up matches as the spin off from government’s investment of EC $42 million begin to flow in.

However, this can only be achieved if studious planning is put in place to ensure that the facilities are maximised and that viable ventures are staged.

Let’s make St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the home of hospitality as we welcome our visitors especially for the four warm up matches ahead of Cricket World Cup 2007.