Writer got it wrong on sport

Letters

I REFER to the article in Sport Extra (The National, Mar 5) under the headline, “Pilai Bilong Yumi”.
It seems that the writer deliberately skimmed through instead of thoroughly reading the letter that I had posted to the Editor few days earlier.
He wrote that I “asked why leaders tended to support sports programmes and competitions and not other programmes that seemed to be more important”. Seemed to be more important? You tell me in what world is sport more important than education?
I do not deny that sport brings communities together. I never even went down that lane.
My point was an appeal of sorts to MPs to let sport be and focus instead on education.
I was talking about Members of Parliament who were voted in by the people.
Who said anything about private entities? They can do whatever they want with their hard-earned money – support sport or buy a cow, whatever.
Also, to imply indirectly that I have a “hang-up” about sport is laughable.
Nowhere in the letter did I, vaguely or otherwise, trash sport, nor did I express any negative emotions towards it.
He also stated that “supporting sport is also cheaper than committing to long-term programmes that require substantial funding over a longer period.” Are you joking?
MP’s are under obligation to serve the people that put them there, not to “make a buck while they’re at it”.
They have to put the taxpayers’ money to good use, and that includes programmes that directly benefit the people in their electorate, whether it’s long term or not.

Sandor Clegane