Too much extempo

EVERY YEAR, Carnival takes place. And while the covid19 pandemic put the festival on ice for two years, we have known it was returning this year for some time now.

So it boggles the mind to learn that the “Mother of all Carnivals” is seeing regional bodies complaining, days before J’Ouvert, about a lack of funding.

According to the head of the National Carnival Commission (NCC) Winston “Gypsy” Peters, the NCC is yet to benefit from a promised $147 million subvention from the Government.

San Fernando Mayor Junia Regrello said on Tuesday the city was yet to receive funds or even a commitment from the NCC about its subvention to manage events.

As a result, customary events were scaled down, a planned king and queen of Carnival competition was shelved, and some competitions have seen no prizes awarded and no crowning ceremonies.

“We had to play it safe,” Mr Regrello said, describing the developments. “We brought the calypsonians on the ready-made stage at the auditorium. We were adamant that this show should come off.”

Calypsonians performed not knowing what the prizes would be. Some judges were not paid.

And according to Mr Peters, other regions are in a similar position.

“Everybody will just have to wait until we get ours,” he said.

However, Tourism, Culture and Arts Minister Randall Mitchell said the problem originates with the NCC.

“The truth is that the NCC has not been making the requests for the money,” Mr Mitchell said. “I don’t understand why this is not being done.”

If the minister does not understand, neither do we.

Assuming requests were made for disbursals, why has the ministry not realised this?

Assuming requests were, in fact, not made, why has no official picked up on the fact that a customary procedure has not occurred, right up to the days before Carnival?

And why is it that funding issues are only now coming to light, months after services and materials have been procured?

This situation puts a spotlight on the need for Carnival stakeholders to be self-sufficient.

According to Mr Peters, the NCC is “a subventive organisation,” meaning it relies on an annual government subvention or allocation from the budget.

Yet is this all the NCC is supposed to be? Should this agency not be more than a mere clearing house for Treasury disbursals?

Has it been forgotten that under the law the primary objective of the commission is “to make Carnival a viable national, cultural and commercial enterprise?"

From a certain perspective, the essence of Carnival is last-minute bacchanal.

But it is time for regional and national bodies to develop revenue streams to prevent us from being in the sorry mess witnessed this week.