Beverley: No remittances for pannists this year

PanTrinbago would not be paying remittances to pannists who play in Panorama 2019 and 2020.

So said Beverly Ramsey-Moore, President of the PanTrinbago in an interview with Newsday Tobago. Ramsey Moore said steel bands will be asked to help in raising funds to help with their players’ expenses.

“I cannot, at this time, make any promise on players’ remittances for 2019 and 2020.We know that the players are a bit disappointed, but we definitely cannot afford it because we’ve seen where we’ve moved from budgets of $30,000 to $20,000.

“So, we are asking bands to do whatever is necessary to raise revenues to assist in meeting the expenses for their players, but at this time, we would not be able to pay players’ remittance,” she said.

Ramsey-Moore said the focus needs to shift from the paying of remittances.

“Yes, we know that money is important. What’s in it for me and what’s in it for you. We have a product. Let’s develop it. Let’s sell it and when we can do that, then and only then we will be able to take care of ourselves,” she said.

She added that members of the pan fraternity must ensure that PanTrinbago, and the industry, generally, becomes a self-sufficient entity.

“Going forward, we have to ensure that our bands are so developed that you can raise your revenue to take care of those persons who come in and to participate in your performances.”

Players remittance are usually paid to pannists who have been certified as having performed at the preliminary round of the annual Panorama competitions.

Ramsey Moore said PanTrinbago has been able to achieve the goal of getting payments for the 2018 Panorama prizes.

“That should have been paid a long time ago but because of mismanagement by the former executive, but we’ve been able to negotiate successfully.

“A huge thank you to the Minister of Culture, Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly, who would have worked extremely hard to ensure that we made the prizes for all the bands in the small, medium and large categories. That has given us a big push to work and to move forward to Panorama 2019,” Ramsey-Moore said.

Ramsey-Moore also said Pan Trinbago would cover expenses for Tobago bands that qualify for Panorama rounds in Trinidad.

“We normally take up the cost of all the bands that qualify for Trinidad; the cost of transport between Trinidad and Tobago, the accommodation, meals and all of that… PanTrinbago normally takes that up and that would continue,” she said.

In 2018, Tobago’s pan fraternity supported a move by the National Carnival Commission (NCC) to take control of Pan Trinbago’s operations for the next three years, with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed on August 7 by representatives from the two entities.

With the Tobago Panorama preliminary set to begin on January 17 with Single pan bands, Ramsey Moore said that one of the goals is to have the regions participate much more in organising the competition and not have operations centralised at the PanTrinbago headquarters.

“We have the former chairman, Marie Toby, who would of course be working as the co-ordinator for the Tobago bands for this Panorama season. We have that Tobago person to provide a much more hands on approach and treating with the plans for the Tobago bands.

“We have been talking with the Tobago Executive because the Tobago region organises its own Panorama… it’s just that we at the Central Executive would provide necessary support when called upon,” she said.