Al-Rawi promises Hatters proper home

San Fernando West MP Faris Al-Rawi said he is doing all he can to make sure Hatters Steel Orchestra finds a proper home in the correct way.

“It is a work in progress, and we (stakeholders) should get that right with proper consultation and co-ordination,” he said on Wednesday night after a lease-distribution ceremony in Marabella.

“We are paying attention to Hatters’ reorganisation and relocation.”

He referred to the band as a strong contributor to the history of pan. The band is one of the oldest in San Fernando.

Last month, thieves broke into Hatters’ panyard at Lady Hailes Avenue in San Fernando. They stole hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment and musical instruments, including pans.

The building is earmarked for demolition to make way for San Fernando Waterfront Development project. After months of uncertainty, last week, the Urban Development Corporation (Udecott) agreed to build a state-of-the-art building near its present site.

Asked about the intended location, the MP responded: “I will leave that to Udecott in how it is managing its structures.”

“I do not have the precise position. Obviously, this has to be done in consultation. We cannot point a place and say, 'Go.'”

As the MP, he vowed to ensure proper co-ordination and consultation on the relocation.

Al-Rawi is also the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs. He said he was extremely grateful for the ongoing work in San Fernando, including squatter regularisation.

“San Fernando was a place where no other government has paid attention to in the way we are doing now.”

He thanked the Prime Minister for supporting the “heavy amount of noise” he makes about San Fernando and San Fernando West.