New Minister of Sports promises to serve with distinction

-`We cannot have sport operating in an ad hoc manner’

With much work ahead, the new Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Charles Ramson Jr. was yesterday sworn into office at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre.

Ramson Jr., was sworn in alongside the rest of the Cabinet at an event that was attended by amongst others, the new President, Irfaan Ali, Prime Minister, Brigadier (rt’d) Mark Phillips and Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo.

Taking his oath in the presence of his wife and daughter, Ramson Jr., promised to serve the country with distinction during his tenure.

The 36 year-old Attorney-at-Law recently graduated from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland with a Masters of Science Degree in Oil and Gas Engineering.

Quizzed on whether he was disappointed to not be appointed to a sector more closely aligned with his skillset, Ramson Jr., explained that President Ali and the party believed that he was the right man for the job.

Said Ramson Jr., “The President and the PPP/C believe that the most important resource of Guyana is not oil and gas but the people of Guyana.

The party believes that all three areas require strong leadership and it requires us to get organized so we can transform the country and also to unify the country.”

Ramson pledged to depart from the ad hoc manner in which sport is treated in Guyana. He plans to implement strategies to run sports as a business in the 592.

“We cannot have sport operating in an ad hoc manner. In order to create a sports development programme and also a sports economy as well, we need to treat sports as a business, because sports is a business too.”

Ramson Jr., added: “We need a system that is sustainable, and that can only be done through organized stakeholders and people that are connected to the overall development trajectory of the country.

He added, “So the first thing you would see as far as sport is concerned is trying to get disciplines more organized first of all and also understanding where they fit with the development trajectory.”

The new sports minister concluded by stating, “Sports is more than just hobbies and staying fit. It is one of the largest sectors in the world and could be very much transformational for the country by drawing our human capital and the talents of our young people.”

In the coming days, Ramson Jr., will meet with the staff members of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and he will go into detail as to what specifically are their plans for the next five years once he sits down with members of his staff and discuss the programmes and projects that are already on the table.

Ramson Jr., takes over in the portfolio as sports minister from the APNU/AFC coalition’s Dr. George Norton.