Duke: No buzz over Tobago October carnival

PROGRESSIVE Democratic Patriots (PDP) political leader Watson Duke has described as “worrying” the fact that the budget for Tobago’s second October carnival has not yet been revealed.

At last Thursday’s THA plenary sitting in the Assembly Legislature, Scarborough, Minority councillor Petal Daniel-Benoit, in a question on the order paper, asked Secretary of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation Tashia Burris to reveal the budget for carnival, which takes place from October 27-29.

She also wanted to know what measures were in place to ensure stakeholders benefit from the event.

Burris asked for a deferral.

But speaking at a news conference on Wednesday at the party’s headquarters, Port Mall, Scarborough, Duke said, “We not hearing anything about the money they intend to pump into the carnival, which is quite worrying to me. Maybe you don’t have money and maybe carnival will just be a street parade.”

He said if there is no hype, people will not be drawn to the event.

“Therefore, the people who come will not be the people who came because of the hype. It will be people who come simply because there is nothing else to do on the island. There are people like that.”