In this season of the masquerade and (more than usual) inebriation, let's put on a performance that suggests our society is defined, not by a steadfast indifference, but by a culture of accountability.
I know it's stretching the limits of credulity but, anyway, here goes. On the evidence of the past three days, why should anyone feel that the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) is deserving of even one red cent of public money?
Here you have an organisation that is more than 100 years old, is charged with the administration of the nation's most popular sport, has been the beneficiary of untold millions–either from the government of the day, the private sector, FIFA or their special adviser–yet is patently incapable of properly accounting for that money.
Critics of the manner of operations of the TTFF have been bemoaning this lack of accountability for years, with no real consequence and certainly no response from the authorities vested with the responsibility of ensuring that any public funding is utilised for its intended purpose.
Indeed, defenders of Jack Warner and the Federation, including the man himself, have generally been dismissive of such claims of impropriety, often parlaying these criticisms as personal attacks motivated by something other than a desire for transparency and accountability.
It is one thing to speculate, to put two and two together and realise that the answer can only be four. But when the TTFF is forced by the order of the courts of the land to finally open its books to scrutiny, at least in relation to one high-profile matter, and those records are found to be grossly inadequate, where is the doubt anymore?
In fact, what is the justification to allow the Federation to continue to function in the manner that it currently does?
Bewilderment is the only way to describe the tone of the reported comments of High Court judge, Justice Devindra Rampersad, in ruling last Friday that the TTFF must make an interim payment of more than $7 million to the 13 footballers who stayed the course in the protracted legal battle with the game's national administration over what they claimed was an agreement that they should receive a 50 per cent share of revenue from Trinidad and Tobago's historic first appearance at a senior FIFA World Cup finals in Germany in 2006.
Hear Justice Rampersad as reported in Saturday's Express:
"I have great issue with the accounts filed and I feel there has been no compliance with the precedent set out...It is totally unaccountable...I find it strange, I have one document from FIFA, why do we not have a final letter from FIFA and Adidas saying this is how much we paid? Lucky or unlucky for you, I have some experience in the accounting field...I cannot understand why it is not accounted for."
Again, there will be more than a handful of citizens offering the goodly Justice a hearty "Welcome Aboard!" to the SS Bewilderment that has attempted, with very little success, to navigate the murky waters of the TTFF's business dealings.
Like the Arab leaders now trying to buy off their enraged citizens with promises of more money and better conditions when what the people really want is transparent, accountable government, it is either that the Federation's hierarchy just don't get it or are pretending that they don't get it.
When TTFF president Ollie Camps states that if Jack doesn't bail them out of this one they "will be forced to file for bankruptcy", he is missing the point completely.
Where the money gone Ollie, where the money gone? Almost nothing in his statement in reponse to the High Court ruling adds up.
Camps states that "...over the years we have been depending almost solely on our benefactor Jack Warner to take care of the financial needs of the Federation."
However in the matter of the 2006 World Cup campaign, didn't Warner and then Sport Minister Roger Boynes make peace in the matter of state funding of the cost of the exercise? Don't you recall the legendary "Yesterday was yesterday, today is today" utterance by the man who is now Works and Transport Minister when it was asked of him as to how he could be on the warpath against Boynes one day and the next morning smiling and shaking hands with the same man?
So if the government then was footing the bill and Jack was continuing to be the generous benefactor, what has become of all the revenue when members of the Johnny-come-lately corporate sector were tripping over themselves to associate with the World Cup-bound squad, to say nothing of the generous assistance given to finalists by FIFA?
Where the money gone Ollie, where the money gone?
At the end of the day, nothing will come of these latest revelations of the lack of accountability at the TTFF...and we all know why.
This is a country that has had it too easy, that has never really had to fight in a meaningful and concerted way for anything. Look, even the Spanish surrendered Trinidad to the British without a fight in 1797. So the prospect of suspension from something as trivial as international football by FIFA if any attempt by well-meaning citizens is made to interfere with the TTFF's operations is enough to have everyone backing off.
This government, which includes Jack, isn't going to intervene anyway, but at least it will be amusing to hear Anil justifying the continued support for a discredited organisation.
Enjoy the masquerade.