JOURNAL   26th November 1999

Tojo dem see what dem say:

Panorama 2K in Danger. - Issues of Protest - Part 1.

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1999 has not gone well for Pan Trinbago. And yet the irony is that never before has so much been done by the organisation in an attempt at getting its head together; but it is still plagued by old leftovers.

The steelbandsmen themselves have much to moan about, but here again there cause is rooted as much in a reflection of Pan Trinbago’s fate, rather than in other issues of their own devising, bar one. But of that in a moment.

Following representations from all its regional members including Tobago in unanimous support, steelband members of Pan Trinbago reiterated their resolved, made at a meeting on the evening of Thursday 18th November 1999, to withhold their participation from all Panorama 2K and Carnival 2000 events until such time as all dues owed to Pan Trinbago have been settled. This decision was presented at a meeting and press conference held at The Grand Stand, Queens Park Savannah, Port of Spain, on the morning of Saturday 27th November 1999. The President of Pan Trinbago Mr Patrick Arnold, together with his executive team at the table, outlined their many grievances with documentation and presentations of figures to his members.

Some of these issues are addressed here.

  Carnival 1999 had started badly. The captain of Hatters and his fellow bandsman, his local arranger, had been carted off to goal for playing Pan on d’road for Carnival Monday J’Ourvet in San Fernando. One similar incident was reported to have halted an Arima steelband. Hatters got the headlines and the TV and spurred the outcry as the banana hit the fan; the Arima bands fate was less severe and only learnt about a couple of weeks later. Pan Trinbago had intervened, many Government Ministers bungled and burbled on the issue, and finally some unlikely Minister made a proclamation of reassurance on the radio, and pan came back on the road for Monday nights Carnival. Hatters boys had spent six hours in goal, and the band got the kudos for ‘taking the stick’ in the good old tradition - to put the matter right.

  No one took any notice, as it was in the heat of Carnival after-all, that the unlikely Ministers proclamation had no legal grounding on the issue whatsoever. The dreaded ‘Third Party Insurance’ issue had hit the motor-drawn ‘trailers’ of the steelbands. To their credit it must be said, Pan Trinbago had wrangled as far up the ladder as the PM himself, on the Thursday before carnival, to clear the problem, but to no avail.

  The truth of the matter, despite Pan Trinbago’s insistence that relevant bands had ‘documents’ for their trailers, and most had got them, few really knew and none were prepared, the Insurance companies, the Government or the steelbands alike, for The Motor Vehicle Insurance [Third Party Act] amendment.
  Act 38, 1996, Chapter 48:51.; dry as saltfish.

  There is more iron in the ironies that follow than in all the steelbands of this Republic that are affected.

  Closing a legal loophole that allowed litigation to fail against some type of trailer induced accidents, coming to par with developed world status, the President of the Republic - the only person who can in fact resolve this problem - penned the laws activation two years late, by Presidential proclamation or signature; which occurred quietly in June 1998 and was promptly announced, as required, in an obscure legal Gazette. Ignorance of its existence was broken when its threat surfaced in very late January 1999 to the offices of Pan Trinbago; in the heat of the steelbands Panorama preparations. Pan Trinbago went into cardiac arrest when they realised that once this banana hit the pan, nearly all of their 1999 carnival seasons 60 or so functioning conventional steelbands, were heading for trouble with the law. It was their ‘engine room’ and other un-driven trailers that traditionally support varied arrays of steel drum instruments, all pulled by truck or tractor, that could fail compliance with this law.

  The new law requires that motor-drawn trailers be in a fit and certified condition; certification conditional on new Third Party insurance to cover the trailer independently. A few Motor Insurance companies were at best unintentionally selling half-baked unlawful cover to some rich bands. A few bands tried to find cover independently but discovered that most motor insurers knew nothing about the new law and were still selling old type trailer insurance. Most bands who needed it, could in no way afford to bring their vehicles into compliance, or far less afford the premiums. This latter reality remains to this day and to this point in time.

  It took the PM’s brother of all people, of the name Panday of all names, a pugnacious and successful defence attorney and champion of the likes of whom we don’t even want to know, to bring to light late in the day these intricacies of the law, when on Pan Trinbago’s calling he set to represent Hatters.

  Hatters case still remains to be tested, at about its sixth hearing, at the very end of this November month. Because of this, nothing further may be openly stated about its issues.

  A leading light from the table at Pan Trinbago has suggested that the bands abandon their ‘trailers’ and return to the old tradition of man-hauling their ‘racks’ of pans. Many did not agree; and opinions divided to support those bands that operated in hilly regions and those others that had invested much time and effort in their trailers, and now feel put-upon to abandon them.

  The steelbands inherent inability to comply with this Third Party Act will be an issue of the protesters on Saturday. They see it as an imposition and they frankly can’t afford it. The also don’t want to brake the law and they don’t want to be locked-up. They will be calling on the only person able to help them, now briefed well in hindsight, The President of the Republic. They will be asking him to declare ‘The Proclamation of Carnival’ to exempt them from this law over that period. Only the President can do this, and not some concerned Minister, no matter how well meaning the intent; otherwise the law will still hold. If he fails to deliver, in the name of their cultural inheritance as users of our National instrument, they will label him not unkindly, the ‘Tea Party’ President.

  Bands of the South and Central region have already voted in resolve that they will withhold their services for all Carnival 2000 events unless they have an assurance, in writing, and by the 31st of December 1999, that there will be a ‘Proclamation of Carnival’ 2000.

  It would be nice if it were as simple as that, but life in Trinidad and Tobago carries its peoples beyond Carnival. There are other ‘Steelband’ events throughout the year, foremost examples are the Point Fortin Borough Day, the Sugar and Energy Festival in Couva; and other ‘Borough’ type events around the country. They are all however localised in cities, towns or villages. Least we forget, the President will need to be informed and encouraged to rise and again invoke ‘The Proclamation of Carnival’ for that city, town or village for that day. He may even like, and would be welcome, to have his ‘Tea Party’ there.

tojo 27th November 1999

  Pan Trinbago burnt down, or it’s old HQ did, at 75 Edward Street, Port of Spain, on the 17th of May this 1999. It sparked the cry of literally ‘cooking the books’ from a critical public, and from many of the steelbands themselves; all of whom had as yet to receive their expected ‘players fees’ for their Panorama and Carnival participation earlier in the year, and were becoming impatient. For the Pan Trinbago executive, the fires timing could not have been worse. There was more heat going down at the time than the fire itself.

  Luckily, Pan Trinbago’s account books were with its auditors, and that’s about as lucky as they got. The loss of what may be termed ‘historic data’, about the steelband organisation itself, still remains under-appreciated and its true extent unknown to this day. Their marketing shop-stock of pan books, tapes and CD’s, that made up some of the ashes, were on the other hand replaceable.

  Pan Trinbago at that time were having a triad of a battle. They were fighting for a place for their art-form in Donald Trumps Miss Universe cattle market show, just three weeks away. They were two weeks away from their hopeful local contribution, unwittingly beguiled by promises of international TV coverage for the Champions of the 20 Century show at the Savannah; which would present their 11 premium Panorama Champion bands, cattle and all. With their salvaged name-list of some 7000 or so Carnival 1999 ‘players’, Pan Trinbago’s representations to the Government for their ‘players fees’ began running into a brick wall, and this effected the realisation that once again, they were going broke; nothing new here except fries.

  Executive Members were now settling in at their old ‘Secretariat’ in the Grand Stand, Queens Park Savannah, Port of Spain, which now became their ‘temporary’ new cramped HQ. Some offers for alternative locations never really materialised; mainly due to the rental fees. With their thoughts having been turned to consider this problem, old avenues were remembered, and past promises revisited with some startling results. Then, just to make their day, the Government made a culturally unpalatable waffle of a bloomer by declaring that Pan Trinbago had no rights to a piece of land at Williams Bay, Chaguaramas; offered to the organisation by one of our past Prime Ministers, the late Dr Eric Williams, back at around 1969. This site had previously engendered put-aside plans for a ‘Grand’ Head Quarters for which Pan Trinbago had dug up some old drawings for proud display. They were, as it turned out, also ‘paying’ water rates on the site; ever since the day the ‘Doc’ had promised it. This unbearable insult, uncoscionably supported by the Ministry of Culture, was now causing no end of anguish within Pan Trinbago’s ranks. For although Pan Trinbago wanted to run a protest meeting, the hype and the Miss Universe show itself was upon them, and biting into the awareness of a now beguiled nation; and they were advised to ‘hold off’ in everyone’s best interests.

  The Williams Bay site at Chaguaramas is extremely valuable. Pan Trinbago’s plan for its development encompasses both international support and sponsorship; together with what other local interest groups may wish to apply in their own right. Few understand that its offer to the movement was and is genuine. Saturdays protesters will be voluble on this issue.

tojo 27th November 1999

tojo 27th November 1999

© 1999 tobagojo@gmail.com

http://www.seetobago.org/trinidad/pan/journal/1999/11/j991127a.htm

  © 1999: tobagojo@gmail.com - 19991127 - 1m20071228 - 2m20140615
Historic Update: 12 July 2000; Last Update: 24 June 2014 05:15:00 TT
Processed by: Jeremy G de Barry

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