Pan Trinbago demands NCC probe

A press release from the pan body’s Public Relation’s Officer Michael Joseph, said the current impasse between itself and the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts, via the NCC was, “very unfortunate given the kind of outstanding contributions the steelpan fraternity has made towards the recognition and development of Trinidad and Tobago at home and abroad for over 50 years.” The release sought to dispel information in the public domain namely the president of Pan Trinbago’s salary and the reason/reasons behind the lack of construction of its headquarters.

“The president is not now or ever was in receipt of a salary of $75,000 plus perks to the tune of $20,000,” the release stated. The NCC, Pan Trinbago stated, rented vehicles for Pan Trinbago Central and Regional executives, “knowing it to be an integral tool in the operation of the organisation…it is strange the organisation evolved to the point of being able to rent vehicles for its operations, according to its needs, we are accused of squandering by those who have not now or ever done an assessment of our needs.” The release added that the “skeletal remains” of the proposed pan headquarters has been a victim of “political gerrymandering” when former prime minister Basdeo Panday was voted out of office.

Panday, the release stated, gave it the parcel of land off the Churchill Roosevelt Highway and promised to build the headquarters.

The release stated that Pan Trinbago and its line minister always had a close and cordial relationship and asked, “what gave rise to the kind of adversarial position that now seems to exist between this new and youthful minister (Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly) and the organisation?” “Tanty Joan (Yuille-Williams) or Big Sister Marlene (McDonald) would have applied more class and style in their dealings with groups under their charge. Dialogue would have been the very first intervention. Not bacchanal and scandal in the public domain,” the release added.