Sports
Sean Douglas
FORMER professional footballer David Nakhid was sworn in as parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs by President Christine Kangaloo at President’s House, St Ann’s, on May 22, in a ceremony alongside attorney Darrell Allahar who became a minister in the Office of the Prime Minister.
Nakhid afterward told reporters he hoped to use his new position to transform people’s lives especially in vulnerable communities and especially as an early intervention against incarceration.
He had served as an opposition senator for 2020-2025, is a sports coach and was once an international footballer representing the Trinidad and Tobago senior men’s team. Nakhid once vied to lead FIFA.
Asked if he had expected his new appointment, he said that based on his past five years he was expecting to now be in a position to help the people of TT.
“I intend to use this opportunity to transform sport in our community.” He vowed to run sport using a model new to TT, where sport was not just deemed to be a hobby.
“It is going to be front and centre, especially the east-west corridor, and under-served communities and rural areas.
“I intend to use this opportunity. I intend to bring ‘sexy’ back.”
Nakhid said various communities could each prioritise different sports, saying these choices might differ for example between Laventille and Penal.
He vowed to consult stakeholders “to see how we could use sport to transform our economy and our community.”
Asked about his relationship with Sport Minister Phillip Watts, Nakhid said he viewed both posts as interlocked. “I’ll help the minister. I’ve been put there for a reason.”
He expected to be asked to draw on his expertise in sport and sport administration.
“So I am not going to be going ahead of anybody but definitely I will be working hand in hand with the minister.”
Asked if Watts has sports experience, Nakhid replied, “Well, if he doesn’t, now he will because I will be there with him.”
Reporters asked about his plan.
“We have to reach every single person. What we haven’t used is a model based on our schools.
“We will have policies from primary school level going straight up and that is how we will transform communities.”
Nakhid said he hoped to transform lives using new sports programmes and policies, to impact on people’s health and the TT economy. “Stay tuned!” he advised.
Asked if sport could be used in an anti-crime thrust, he replied, “Absolutely. Take the model of Belgium and other European countries.
“They use sport to transform the national security apparatus and I think we need to do that as well.” He said sport can lift people, so they avoid the penal system later in life.
“I will be, and the minister will be, begging in Cabinet to make sure we get the resources to make sure we transform communities and prevent us having to always deal with people who are under-served, (later on) in the penal system. We will deal with them upfront.”
Otherwise, he promised to look into the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), as he lamented that TT was no longer the region’s main hub for cricket.
Asked if his new non-ministerial post was too junior for him after five years in the Senate, he said, “That you will have to ask the Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar. In her judgement, this is the role I have. Whatever role I have, I’ll be a star.”
