Govt spent $111,886 on VIPs at Carnival

The National Carnival Commission (NCC) issued tickets to the VIP section of the Queen’s Park Savannah for Carnival 2003 at a cost totaling $111,886.

This was revealed by Minister of Culture Pennelope Beckles in a reply to a parliamentary question by Fyzabad MP Chandresh Sharma on Friday in the House of Representatives. Recipients were listed as some 75 persons and their guests, chiefly public officials headed by former President Arthur NR Robinson and Prime Minister Patrick Manning. Apart from Government Ministers and other public officials, VIP tickets were given to Linus Rogers, Dr Brian Harry, S Finbar Ryan, Ewart Williams, Dr Aleem Mohammed, Hasley Crawford, D Punwasee, Rt Rev Dean Knolly Clarke, Ali Khan, ambassador Jerry Narace, and Kenneth Gordon. 

Beckles’ reply stated that some 367 seats in the Grand Stand had been designated VIP seats under the control of the NCC, another 164 seats had been allocated to the three Carnival interest groups — the NCC, National Carnival Bandleaders Association (NCBA) and Pan Trinbago — for the entertainment of their sponsors and guests, some 32 tickets had been issued to the Leader of the Opposition for distribution to MPs for Dimanche Gras and the Parade of Bands, and tickets were provided to former First Lady Zalahayar Hassanali and her guests.