GIVEN the stridency of the criticisms of the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium mounted by the JLP while it was in Opposition in the earlier part of 2007, one would have thought that within months of its victory at the polls, the governing administration it formed would have embarked on a plan to move the stadium beyond the “white elephant” description of it to cashing in, especially given the reality of Jamaica’s larger-than-life success at the 2008 Olympic Games.

Instead, like most of the mindset of governmental administrations in this country, the present JLP administration wants control with a capital C, so it rejected UTech’s business proposal/bid for the use of the facility to extend education access to western Jamaica and to place Jamaica close to the forefront of those who can use the words “education”, “athletics” and “money” in the same sentence.

Sports Minister Babsy Grange, in trying to explain away the government’s rejection of the UTech proposal, mentioned in a radio interview that since the JLP government came to power, the monthly maintenance cost of the facility has fallen. I guess the minister expected applause for telling us that the ministry was more interested in the price of cutting grass at the cemetery that the JLP surmised the stadium would have been, had the PNP won again, than building on it and the Jamaican brand, packing it with live bodies and merging spectator excitement with the most magic of all words – m-o-n-e-y.

One reader wrote, “When Golding was in Opposition, he and others berated the prospect of the Trelawny stadium, stating that it would be a white elephant. Why then hold on to it? It would seem to me that this request from UTech should have been a great blessing and should be grabbed with both hands by the Golding administration since it was thought to be such a big mistake at the inception. Golding has played hard politics and now suffers the consequences.”

After spinning around in circles for the better part of two years where positives in agriculture, tourism and a few other areas have happened in spite of widespread public perception that the prime minister is “soft”, “confused” and “not ready”, the 2009 World Games reminded the international athletics community just how important Jamaica was as a player. With Usain Bolt capturing the world for much longer than a month and bringing an international aura to Jamaica at a time when the global economic recession was adding pepper to our old wounds, the government looked at us, we looked at it, and in staring down each other, nothing happened except that the grass was cut.

On a broad basis, the philosophies of the church and party political leadership are similar. Where the JLP government wants CONTROL over the stadium, the control of that physical entity is merely a preliminary stage in the process to control the minds, the votes of the people. Recently, the church has been huffing, puffing and patting itself on the back for its victory over the “heathens” who would want to place a bet on Sundays.

In its race to control the disposal of man’s soul – whatever that is – it has concluded that gambling is bad for a society. That, of course, seems to be on sound footing. At the same time, if I wish to place $100 on a “Crown-and-Anchor” bet and I derive some pleasure from doing so, win or lose, what legal right does the church have in selling me its moral code that gambling is evil?

Because the church and party politics lie in the same bed and their objectives are similar, the church lobbies the government to place a brake on full Sunday horse racing, thus meeting its needs to have legality policing its moral code. Of course, if the politics crosses the church, the votes will suffer.

Some members of the clergy have said that Sunday horse racing was not the focus. Rather, it was “gambling” in total. Then why the big noise from the church on its success on getting the government to close off-track betting parlours during the first attempt at Sunday racing at Caymanas Park?

To what degree would the moral fibre of this nation suffer, had the numerous OT betting outlets been opened? More important, what is the money value of the commerce that would occur were these outlets opened?

It is accepted that man cannot live by bread alone. We need some basic codes to live by. We also recognise that humans have weaknesses and that many men ruin their households because of the addiction to gambling. That would be so whether gambling was legal, illegal or if Caymanas Park was left unopened on Saturdays and Sundays.

Although the Catholic, Anglican, Baptist and Seventh-Day Adventist denominations have worked wonders in education in Jamaica, it is time that they all recognise that as adults we laud them for it, but would ask that as adults they keep out of policing our adult lives.

Let me ask the church these questions. What was the “value” of the morality that was saved by having the off-track stations closed last Sunday? What was the money value of the funds saved in households having gambling-addicted men?

If the “value” of the morality increases plus the money saved in gambling households was less that the value of the commercial activity that would have accrued, had the OT betting parlours been opened, would the church accept that it had lost the “battle”?

The fact is, once the church claims “authority from God”, it need not answer any questions, claiming instead that its voice and the voice of that Authority are one and the same. Now, that must be the easiest job in the world and the most complete hustle.

A good business plan from UTech on the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium is rejected because of the power of government and its need to have state control. Control for what purposes? The church stymies commercial activity that would come via full Sunday horse racing, because it needs to stamp its authority on our lives at any cost.

The religion and the political leadership sup at the same table where the need in both instances is only designed to advance our lives to the extent that the church and politics give it their stamp of approval.

The church did a good job in educating us as children but now that we are adults, it is still summoning us to Sunday School. It cannot exist without total control. The JLP administration has no discernible plans for the Trelawny stadium but, again, total control is the only politics it knows.

But then again maybe I am speaking too hastily. It could be by next week that Sports Minister Babsy Grange will be making a grand announcement on the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium. It could be earth-shattering.

She could be announcing that a new lawn mower has been purchased.

observemark@gmail.com