Carnival stakeholders say they are prepared to give newly-appointed National Carnival Commission (NCC) chairman Kenneth De Silva a chance, for the fourth time.
In an interview yesterday, PanTrinbago president Keith Diaz said he welcomed De Silva’s appointment as well as his years of experience in the cultural sector.
“I have no problem with him. We worked with him years gone by. He understands what happens in the cultural arena. It’s very important that the person understands culture.
“He has worked with the steelband movement in the past and helped us build the Pan is Beautiful series music festival. He has experience in mas, calypso and pan as chairman of the NCC,” Diaz said.
De Silva also worked on the Pan for Crime project with PanTrinbago which targeted high-risk areas in Laventille.
Despite his praise, Diaz said he was concerned with the allocation for PanTrinbago for next year’s Carnival celebrations.
Adding that the prize money for Panorama had not increased in ten years, Diaz said he expected to have discussions with both De Silva and Minister of Culture Dr Nyan Gadsby Dolly.
President of the National Carnival Bandleaders Association (NCBA) David Lopez was much more conservative with his opinions.
He said: “Let’s wait and see. I am sure the powers that be knows best. I don’t want to comment at this time.
“All I can say is if we are going with the mandate of how Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has been presenting himself and the need for T&T to move forward, then we should do well.”
Lopez noted Rowley’s first radio interview during which he said the country needed to look at Carnival in a holistic approach.
He said there wasn’t, at present, any infrastructure to push growth and most stakeholders focussed only on Carnival, the event.
“The NCC has been so disappointing in the past few years, where people come into these positions and really see about themselves.
“I want to give peace a chance and see if from the mistakes made in the past if they are genuinely looking to see the Carnival for what it is and work with the interest groups and put the infrastructure in place,” Lopez added.
De Silva’s appointment was announced by Communications Minister Maxie Cuffie on Thursday during the post-Cabinet press briefing.
He said other board members would be announced after consultation with stakeholders.