The National Carnival Bands Association (NCBA) under David Lopez refused to provide the Arts and Multiculturalism Ministry with reports on Carnival 2015, saying “it was none of the minister’s business,” Minister Dr Lincoln Douglas said yesterday.
Douglas made the comment in the Senate yesterday, as he further explained why Lopez was dismissed from the National Carnival Commission board recently.
This followed a request by People’s National Movement (PNM) Senator Faris Al-Rawi for clarification on whether Lopez’s dismissal was related to the submission of audited or unaudited accounts to the NCC.
After action on Lopez, Douglas says, he has now asked the NCBA to submit a nominee for the NCC board.
Douglas said the dismissal was not related to audited or unaudited accounts but specifically to a request made to the NCBA to submit reports on Carnival 2015 activities, relating to competitions, results, scores, prizes and a range of other matters.
He noted that the same requests were made to the two other carnival special interest groups—TUCO and Pan Trinbago. He said the groups were all asked to report to the minister via the NCC.
TUCO and Pan Trinbago submitted their carnival reports, but the NCBA refused to submit theirs saying it was “none of the minister’s business” and these (matters) were confidential to them, Douglas said. He said this was notwithstanding many requests made to his ministry by masqueraders and their organisations for information on their scores and why they were disqualified.
Douglas said he wrote a second letter to the NCBA and they again adamantly refused to provide any information on the various matters.
He noted that the NCC act states that an NCC member can be removed for refusal to co-operate, dereliction of duty or non-cooperation with national goals and objectives. “So I’ve asked the NCBA in that regard to resubmit a nominee for the board of the NCC,” he said.
Douglas, in replying to an opposition question on the recommendations of the Joint Select Committee’s sixth report on the NCC’s operations, said accounts from 2005 to 2011 had been prepared for submission to the auditor general and 2012-2013 accounts would be ready for auditing in the next two weeks.
He said the NCC had requested and obtained audited accounts from the special interest groups for the years up to 2014, whereas 2015 accounts were being prepared in draft for finalisation of the audit.
the NCC and to have the leaderships of the three special interest groups be more transparent and accountable. He said a review of the NCC act was being suggested to give the NCC more power to do certain things in conjunction with the special interest groups.
The act, he said, should also facilitate mandatory alliances between other government agencies or the formal establishment of Memorandums of Understanding with foreign trade missions, some of which had already been established by Government. He said a bit more was required to foster cultural development.
He said the NCC was not in a position to fully capitalise on royalities associated with “streaming” and copyright, although other groups/companies appeared to be moving at a phenomenal rate in that direction. He said for the “true beneficiaries of Carnival to reap their rewards,” a further review and robust implementation of copyright law must be implemented.
He said the NCC had established a marketing department and had commissioned Dr Vanous James to prepare a report, including recommendations for development and marketing of Carnival. Government, he said, had counted over 300 carnivals worlwide based on T&T’s festival and involving T&T nationals, and the NCC was currently promoting Carnival in South Africa, Zimbabwe, the UK, Australia and soon Hollywood, Tampa and Philadelphia, where he would soon be visiting.
He said the NCC in November 2013 implemented a new procurement/purchasing policy and had saved $90 million. He also said NCC initiatives resulted in a 50 per cent reduction in congestion along the carnival parade route after clearing certain areas of people and vehicular traffic.