Court ruling a lesson for the NCC

LEGENDS band leader Mike Antoine on Friday said that the ruling by Justice Amrika Tewary that the 2003 senior Band of the Year results be declared null and void, may be a lesson for the National Carnival Commission (NCC) to get their house in order.

Antoine, one half of the award-winning team of three-time Band of the Year title holders, Legends, told Sunday Newsday that it was a pity that Carnival had to reach this point, going to court so often. Stating that Legends was concerned with showcasing the best of TT to the rest of the world, Antoine said he was currently involved in “seeing about 2004 and beyond.” Describing himself as an ambassador of the culture and the industry, he stated that government and the relevant authorities needed to take steps to promote the culture, and that a title was “the least of his concerns.” However, he said one of his major concerns revolved around the direction that the culture was going, and that the industry should not let the National Carnival Bands Association (NCBA) hold them to ransom.

Claiming that “TT was the mecca of Carnival,” Antoine called for all the “fighting” to stop. He explained that the NCBA had originally received $2.6 million to run Carnival, and when asked by the NCC to account for how the money was being spent, they could not properly account, and as a result,  NCC “took back” the running of Carnival. Stressing that the emphasis should be placed on the culture, Antoine said Carnival was one of the largest revenue earners in such a short space of time. He concluded by stating that a title cannot be spent, and urged all stakeholders involved to work for the betterment of Carnival, as the rest of the world was looking on.

Chairman of the NCBA Richard Afong explained that following enquiries from bandleaders in the various categories, as well as conflicting reports and errors in judging, they petitioned the courts to hold back the results. Stating that the court ruled in this regard, Afong said there are no winners for Carnival 2003, and that there was no way to determine otherwise, as the competition could not be replayed. He suggested that one way forward would be to divide the prize monies between persons who are qualified in the respective categories of small, medium and large bands. Upon hearing of De Silva’s collapse, Antoine extended heartfelt wishes to De Silva as he said “My prayers go out to him, and I wish him a speedy recovery. We hope that he comes out soon to take TT on the map for a better Carnival 2004.”