Billionaire businessman Lawrence Duprey came in for some heavy jamming on the platform in Fyzabad at the annual Labour Day celebrations over the “barrel of rum” incentive made to the young Soca Warriors by Angostura Group of Companies.

They were promised the barrel of specially aged rum to beat powerhouse England in the preliminary round of World Cup Finals in Germany.

“You gave someone else scholarship, but you give our children rum,” OWTU’s Education officer David Abdullah thundered from the podium.

During the trial of former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday for failing to declare his assets, it was revealed by Duprey in court that he had given a large sum of money to the Pandays for their children’s education

An angry Abdullah asked: “How could you give a barrel of rum?

“Are our young people only good to drink rum?”

DAVID
ABDULLAH

LAWRENCE
DUPREY

Some 24 hours before the crucial match-up against England, it was announced by Nigel Bissoon, marketing manager of Angostura that each of the 23 players, should they pull off the victory, will be the recipient of a prized barrel of rum.

Each barrel holds 64 gallons and Duprey revealed that the rum would have come from a special batch reserved only for special occasions.

Abdullah went on, “… if he’s serious as the multi-millionaire he is, take land in Trincity that he owns and give them land.

“Give them shares in Angostura; give them million-dollar insurance policy in Clico.”

Abdullah’s advice was met with strong approval from the hundreds of workers packed in front the stage.

The ageing rum, which Bissoon said he had hoped would have influenced the players to win (since “no Trini would have missed such an opportunity to own a full barrel of the fine blend”), didn’t inspire them any more than it did in the first drawn game against Sweden as Soca Warriors went down to 2-0 to England.