Valuing our heritage

Still, it is important for there be parity with other national commemorations.

And the State has a responsibility to be prudent with expenditure in a situation where the economy still remains an issue. In the end, what should matter most is what the holiday symbolises and whether it achieves the goal of bringing about greater appreciation of the indigenous tribes that occupied this land long before others.

The issue of just how much money the State should give to the Santa Rosa First Peoples Community in relation to the holiday has rightly triggered debate. Addressing concerns, Chief Ricardo Bharath Hernandez has clarified that his group is not seeking $3 million in State funding. Rather, he reckons, this will be the total cost of events commemorating the holiday.

He hopes for a mixture of private and public funds to achieve this.

Be that as it may, the issue is not whether the festival costs $3 million or not. It is whether citizens will get value for money, however much is allocated.

Too often the re is quibbling over the nominal sums allocated to various groups and bodies for specific events without reference to the measures funded by these sums as well as accounts as to how the money allocated was eventually spent.

So every year, one committee gets in an uproar when it hears another committee got more money. Then follows the usual flurry of threatening sound bites, with each group threatening to paint the government of the day as prejudiced to their cause. Often, the politicians simply see an opportunity for some “feel-good” points, especially given how much is going wrong in the country.

They grandly announce funding for this event or that festival or show.

Months later, once the cheque has been cashed, nobody hears from these committees and entities.

We are not given the benefit of any kind of evaluation exercise. How was the money spent? Was it worth it? Did the funding benefit the cause? How many people were affected? We accuse no group of wrongdoing, but we are of the view that this culture of opaqueness when it comes to the funding of cultural and religious events is a clear vulnerability. It creates a breeding ground for corruption should persons be minded to exploit it.

Indeed, the experience with organisations such as the National Carnival Commission and the National Carnival Bands Association (NCBA) tells us enough. In these organisations there have been problems and allegations of rampant corruption.

At one stage, questions were raised when NCBA books even disclosed taxpayers were paying funeral expenses.

If we really value our national holidays and festivals then we would keep a better eye on the money and how it is used.

There should be a special committee of Parliament, comprising members of all sides of the House of Representatives and the Senate, dedicated to the issue of funding for annual holidays and events. This committee should meet in public, should request annual reports from each organisation funded, and should report to the Parliament at least once per term.

This committee would be able to summon any official from any organisation which is the recipient of State funds, whether it is a few thousands for a flower show or millions for a jamboree.

Only when there is such accountability will we be able to stop quibbling over sums and focus on what is really of value: our heritage