Guardians of Carnival

THANKS to the increased presence and vigilance of policemen and soldiers at the Carnival celebrations, the festival this year was free of serious incidents of violence. From Monday morning's Jouvert bacchanal to last night's last lap, revellers, including hundreds of visitors and tourists, enjoyed themselves in the street parade untroubled by any notable clashes or criminal activity. The joint strategy carried out by the Police and the Regiment to ensure that the national celebrations remain clean and peaceful proved quite successful, and not only mas' players and spectators, but the entire country, owe a debt of gratitude to these guardians. We remember several years ago when steelbands provided much of the music for the street parade, some of the bands would pay tribute to the Police by treating them to an impromptu last-lap concert outside Police Headquarters. Maybe it is time to revive that fine and grateful gesture.

But while the Carnival was peaceful, blood flowed elsewhere in the country as three young men were killed in execution-type murders from Friday to yesterday. These shootings were not connected to the celebrations, but they still served to provide grim evidence of the level of criminal underworld activity in the country. Cold blooded assassinations by armed gunmen have now become a common and regular part of the TT crime scene and, while they do not appear to involve the ordinary citizen, they are still disturbing acts of murder which seem to be connected with some kind of rivalry or struggle between gangs seeking to gain control of some kind of monetary source or advantage. We note with some dismay that a number of victims over a period of time have been connected with the URP and, yesterday, Clevon "Scrappy" Hamilton, 22, of Pelican Extension, Morvant, and Jason Tinto, 22, of Spring View Drive, Petit Valley, who were both gunned down by assassins were employed with the NHA and CEPEP respectively. Are these two murders job-related killings or is the work connection among some of the victims purely coincidental? Are the gangs fighting over the benefits of government's make-work schemes? The Police must find out.

Back to the Carnival. It was refreshing to see at yesterday's street parade a kind of revival of traditional mas' with several bands portraying Fancy Sailors, Red Indians, Devils and Midnight Robbers. Spectators on the Savannah were delighted by the re-appearance of these once popular Carnival characters as they told Newsday they were somewhat fed-up with the preponderance of skimpily clad "jump and wine" revellers. It seems too much to expect, however, that the return of these old-time portrayals will spark a reversal back to the "golden age" of Carnival when great and elaborate costumed presentations where the central feature of Tuesday's mas'.

Our congratulations also go to Singing Sandra for winning the Calypso Monarch title for the second time. Ironically, however, her choice was considered by many on the Savannah as an illustration of Chalkdust's classy contribution "Just So". Chalkie emerged a favourite with his witty double, "The Rowley Letter" and "Just So" which gave a number of amusing examples of Trinis acting or taking decisions "Just So". In other words, like they "catch a vaps". Skatie was also a threat for the title with "In Just Six Years" and "One Man Alone". Finally, doesn't calypso have a particular beat, an identifying tempo, its own musical identity? Roger George's "These are the Times" was an emotional redering of what seemed a perceptive song, but was it calypso?