Young promises as PM culture would be a priority

HOURS after the Prime Minister announced his decision to step down from office on March 16, his successor, Energy Minister Stuart Young made his way to witness the NCC National Stickfighting finals at Skinner Park, San Fernando on February 27.

He met and shook hands with fighters, stopped for selfies with some of them, and members of the audience.

He also watched some of the exhibition matches and dancers, including “Babes in the Kalinda,” children of fighters who are being trained to continue the legacy. Young, accompanied by San Fernando mayor Robert Parris, NCC chairman Winston “Gypsy” Peters and CEO Keiba Jacob Mottley, also engaged the young fighters in a pretend fight. Each child received brown envelopes containing cash from them.

Young also presented awards in recognition of past and present fighters for keeping the culture of stickfighting alive. Recipients included Samuel Jemmadeen, Hinkson Bernard, Cedric Granger, Francis Torres, Felix De Four and Eddison Punnette.

Young, in a brief interview, told Newsday this was his first stickfighting experience.

“This is the first time I have come down, to experience and look at the stickfighting, live, but it still can’t take the place of the pan. I like the stickfighting, but pan is life.”

Young said he was impressed with the children who entertained the large audience with their stickfighting demonstration.

“It was lovely to see the children engaged. It shows continuity and it shows that the artform will continue.”

He assured, “One of the things I intend to do, is to spend a lot of time focusing on the local art forms, and culture. This is where we need to build, to build up to reach up.”

Just before the Panorama semifinals, president of Pan Trinbago Beverly Ramsey-Moore spoke about a new home for pan, stating that it had outgrown the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain, in terms of the number of patrons.

She said in the past, the North Stand was able to hold approximately 7,000 patrons along with their coolers. Due to security restriction by the fire services, only 5,000 is allowed in this space.

Patrons who could not get into the North Stand, also complained about corporate sponsors and groups getting preferential treatment for seats.

An avid pan lover, Young acknowledged the conversation has surfaced regarding the numbers, and the NCC chairman has already engaged in an initial discussion on the matter.

“Those are the type of conversations we will have, for planning what is to come. The kind of things we have to look at, coming out of this season. Pan finals is on Saturday and we would look at that and then take it from there. Do our assessment and see what the future holds.”

Gypsy, who is still nursing a sore throat which saw him being eliminated from the national extempo final on Tuesday, declined to comment.

“I can barely talk,” he said.