Gypsy: 'I would invest in Machel Monday'

Chairman of the National Carnival Commission (NCC) Winston "Gypsy" Peters said he would be on board with the commission's investing in events like Machel Monday.

In an interview, Peters said the NCC is in the process of restructuring and exploring a model that would facilitate its investing in events and projects to earn money. This, he said, would help improve current events, while introducing new and fun events to the line-up for the season.

He said the NCC would invest in various events, after which, based on their success, it would benefit from the returns.

At the media launch for Machel Monday, Peters said, "I think we have watched Machel Monday as a feature of Carnival grow to be one of the biggest activities. I was talking a couple of weeks ago about things we would like to get involved in and said Machel Monday is an example of an event worth making an investment in."

He said the discussion sparked debate, but he insisted that instead of seeking similar success to international companies for NCC-funded events, he would want the commission to be associated with successful local activities, using Machel Monday as a prime example.

"Why not? As long as it is something that is successful."

Asked if the NCC has any intentions of making Machel Monday an official part of the Carnival calendar, Peters said, he merely used the show as an example of a successful event which he wishes to see more events align with when considering the number of patrons who attend, and how much value that could add to the funding potential of the NCC.

Asked if funds have been secured for Panorama finals and Soca Monarch, he said of the $50 million received, $20 million has been set aside for pan, and funds are being secured for all other events funded by the commission.

The NCC is still awaiting additional payments to arrive to make up the expected $139 million from the government.