Building TT chairman wants Regrello to apologise for Sundar Popo statement

Building TT (BTT) chairman Ravi Ratiram has called on San Fernando mayor Junia Regrello to apologise for statements he made on the naming of the auditorium at NAPA’s South campus in San Fernando after late chutney legend Sundar Popo.

In a statement, Ratiram said, at best, the mayor’s statement “demonstrated a callous insensitivity in a country rich in its cultural diversity, and at worst it is a reprehensible comment which propagates racial discord that has absolutely no place in our society.”

Last week, Regrello said said if he had his way, the auditorium of NAPA’s South campus would not have been named in honour of the late chutney legend, but rather, calypso veteran Leroy “Black Stalin” Calliste.

Ratiram said Regrello’s statement also demonstrated the mayor’s “scant regard for our plural society and his one-dimensional attitude which is at the core of the divisiveness that we as a people have been trying to extinguish from this glorious country.:

“It is an insult not only to persons of East Indian heritage, it is an insult to the people of South Trinidad, and it is an insult to every citizen of this country who appreciate the rich cultural legacy and heritage that is made stronger for its diversity.”

He said Sudarlal Popo Bahora was not just any performer.

“He is credited as being the father of the world famous chutney art form. He was the first to fuse the rhythms of soca with the traditional Indian art form, giving birth to an entire industry that has paved the way for such mega stars as Ravi B, Raymond Ramnarine, Rikki Jai, Anand Yankarran, Drupatee, KI, Nishard and Neeval just to name a few.

“It is ironic that in 1995 it was Black Stalin that won the Calypso Monarch Title with his hit ‘A Tribute to Sundar Popo’. We daresay, Stalin himself must be most offended to have heard the callous statements by Mayor Regrello.

“Sundar Popo has copped numerous awards including a National Award for Excellence as well as the National Hummingbird medal in 1993. He is a hero to all persons, of all races and of all places, and it is insulting, reckless, myopic, inconsiderate, inappropriate and racially divisive that Junia Regrello should seek to so belittle the legacy of so great a servant of the people.”

In addition to an apology from the mayor, Ratiram called on Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to take “swift action” to address the issue.