Faye Alibocus to be dethroned?

The Trinidad and Tobago representative at the 2003 Miss Universe International Beauty Pageant held last May, Faye Alibocus, is in hot water with the organisers of the local leg of the competition, the Pageant Company, though it remains unclear as to why this is so. When asked if Alibocus had been dethroned as it has been rumoured, Marcia la Borde, Marketing Manager at the Pageant Company told Newsday on Tuesday that their company is currently in negotiations with Alibocus. Pressed further as to why there was need for any negotiations with Alibocus at this time, la Borde stated that she had another call, and hurriedly hung up.

Alibocus, meanwhile, has been spending a considerable amount of time in New York honouring private engagements, following her success in getting to the final round of competition on the night of the International Pageant. And this when the local company expected her to be available for any promotion of the local sponsors, while she still wears the Miss TT/Universe crown. Up to press time Alibocus hadn’t responded to Newsday’s calls, but speaking with her mother on Tuesday, a tearful Mrs Gail Alibocus lamented the position that her daughter has been caught in. She said: “These are young girls experiencing something new and different, and personal commitments should have been allowed for. CCN doesn’t own her.”

Former members of the Pageant Company also admitted to hearing of the impending action by the company just under a week ago. Adrian Raymond said: “I honestly don’t know what to say. Faye has done the country very proud and gave up so much of herself in the process. And although she is not here she is still representing the country with everything she is doing right now. She is still the people’s queen!” Newsday learnt that a stipend was paid to Alibocus by the company on a monthly basis, but that stopped in April after the Miss Universe International Pageant in Panama.

Another former member of the company, Allison Brown stated that people will always have differing opinions, “I don’t want any confusion to tear down the level the pageant has reached because it’s a really good thing for young women. It is really hard for a young girl to enter such a competition knowing that there may be a disturbance to face down the road. For me, the show must ultimately be in the girl’s best interest, for them to have a pleasant experience and to not have anything unsavoury connected with the pageant industry,” she said. Given the situation, should Alibocus be dethroned and her title taken away, there won’t be anyone to take her place, as both the first and second runners-up at the pageant are no longer contracted to the promoters.