The national pool is yet another example of how public entities are being administered without professional management. The steep entrance fees introduced suddenly in peak season have brought the facility to a standstill and parents, who eagerly watched their children swim at an early age, hoping that the children would take up the sport, can only dream. The much-needed revenue to offset the costs of running the operation is clearly in dramatic decline.

Now that the national pool facilities are only available to the privileged few at the expense of public funds, the minister concerned should give the public some details of the aims and objectives of this facility. Do we have new objectives?

Is it possible to have some highlights of the brief given to the management or possibly some contents of a business plan, if any of these exists? This information would be relevant to many readers. What is the rationale behind the increase in prices that so many have found unaffordable? What are the expected financial projections in view of the certain decline in revenue?

Does the national pool have set maintenance standards? Who is assigned to ensure that the maintenance is done on a regular basis?

I would like to share some interesting comments I heard the other day. "Now that the employees are relieved from the hardship of the summer season, surely it would be a good idea to assign them to touch up the peeling paint, fix the few broken tiles on the decks and give the place a much-needed facelift. This surely does not entail a huge investment if it is done by the pool's regular maintenance workforce; we are told that this maintenance is usually outsourced to contractors".

Why is cleaning being contracted out when the facility has its own regular staff engaged to do the job? If these concerns are confirmed, can we know who is ultimately responsible for taking the decisions?

Is it too much to ask for one competent manager with the authority to administer according to an agreed set of objectives, whose job is reviewed yearly and who is held accountable for running the pool? Can we be specific about what to expect from the person running this operation so we can give credit to a job well done. Unfortunately, this is not the way this country operates, so the public foots the bills for incompetence.