Mr. Diaz be the hero; kill the monster you created.
By Aquil Arrindell
Divide and rule.
Before Carnival, I wrote an article that explained that the only reason the president called a meeting with single bands was because he had heard that Mr. Aquil Arrindell was going to mobilize and hold a protest. Reason being that the panorama competition was days away with no rules. The rules were not ratified by the membership and there was no information available. So the president and the executive acted on the rumour and called a meeting with a 4-day notice. This was unconstitutional and did not give the Tobago members time to make arrangements to attend. But who cares about Tobago, right! Apparently since the vote of no confidence by the Tobago region, the executive has been treating them with scant courtesy. However, the most unusual thing about this meeting, at no time have we ever experienced a meeting where only one group in the membership was called upon to ratify rules. One of CIP’s main soldiers, Mr. Gregory Lindsay, attended the meeting and he was told by the president that he would be not allowed to speak because this meeting was not for conventional bands. He was also told that conventional bands would have their day soon, where he would be able to make his contribution. Of course, in the true character of this executive of lies and deceit, there was no meeting for conventional bands. The president and his executive got to the realization that having Dane Gulston, Aquil Arrindell, Oswald Alexander, Gerard Mendez, Michael Marcano, Beverly Ramsey Moore, Marie Toby, Douglas Willams, Yasin Abu Bakr, Gregory Lindsay and of recent, Keith Byer, in the same meeting, is not a meeting they could control. So once again, band leaders got the shitty end of the stick.
Get single pan out of the way.
It was reported that at that meeting, the executive came with rules to be discussed and ratified by the membership. The single band leaders were not happy at all with the fact that the executive had their competition end before the conventional bands started. It was done in 2016 and the membership wanted it changed in 2017. What they did not know was that it was the brain child of the External Relation Officer (ERO), as a way of getting the single pan bands out of the way so that the conventional bands could have their players. Hence the reason for the change of rules where pan players can now play for two bands, one Single and one Conventional. Now, it is very interesting to know that our largest group is now concidered by the president and the E.R.O and the rest of the executive as something to get out the way; something of a nuisance; something that should not be wasting their time and energy. Elections are in the air and we will see if any single pan bands want any member of this executive representing them. Nevertheless, all the bandleaders made their case that they want the timeline changed. The president said he would entertain discussion regarding changes to the rules at this time but still made a change to the rules regarding the maximum number of players weeks later, after the request of a (one) large band captain.
Are they representing what we want or what they want?
A meeting to ratify the rules was supposed to be a discussion between the membership and the executive. The executive is not greater than the membership and therefore the members can instruct the executive on what they want and don’t want in the competition. In this case the executive, through the president, made it clear “we are not making any changes”. It leaves us to ask the question, Did we vote them into office to serve us or to serve themselves? So the meeting ended up being a waste of time. The president had fun busting mark on CIP; blaming Dr. Dolly; lying about negotiations with NCC and player’s money all because CIP soldiers were not there to defend our members.
No meeting again.
As indicated in the first paragraph, a rule was changed without consulting the bands. The executive changed the rule for large bands from 100 players to 120. I spoke to the bandleader who made the request and the case put forward, in my good judgment, was valid and the rule should be changed. However, it has to be an agreement involving all the bands through a democratic process.
A growing concern now should be whether the president would call any meeting before the election. Would he just pay himself what he can and milk the organization for all that it is worth until then? Is it that there are no executive members other that the three that resigned last year to step up and say enough is enough? We should have already done a post-mortem on Panorama 2018 and begun discussions on Panorama 2019. What are the changes we need to make to improve the product? If we don’t do something about the executive before the election, 2019 Panorama will be no better under a new executive. They would just have to bite the bullet because of the lack of time to make changes. Reports are coming in that there is a feeding frenzy happening among the executive right now and the president’s fight with the rest of the central executive, lead by the secretary, is at a breaking point. Mr president, the CIP members made it absolutely clear at the last annual general meeting. You have lost control of your organization. Call your last meeting and resign for the sake of the organization. It is late, but it is better late than never. Mr. president, save us, save our organisation, the organisation you have said over and over that you love. Be the hero at the end. You created this monster so you should be the one to kill it.
Document of Concerned Individuals for Pan.
Replies
I think that AQUIL ARRINDELL and NEVILLE JOHN should approach the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Culture to arrange a two-year WORLD TOUR (check my recent list of Embassies and Consulates) to showcase the PAN. In each country that they visit they could use some LOCAL MUSICIANS (with LOCAL INSTRUMENTS) to accompany them on stage and further display the versatility of THE INSTRUMENT. And they should learn two or three songs from each country.
A third marketing person should accompany the group to handle CD SALES (they have to whip up a quick CD to take with them) and further bookings and orders for PANS.
This DYNAMIC MUSICAL DUO should return to Trinidad some time in the SUMMER to FALL of 2020 when THE RIGHT HONOURABLE KEITH DIAZ will be stepping down from his post as PRESIDENT OF PAN TRINBAGO. At that time, with all the GLOBAL ACCOLADES under his belt and a good understanding of the GLOBAL THIRST for QUALITY PAN MUSIC, MR. ARRINDELL could then offer himself as a candidate for the PRESIDENCY OF PAN TRINBAGO.
In other words, Mr. Arrindell, don't waste the next two years of your life CHASING SHADOWS trying to unseat THE GREATEST POLITICIAN IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD -- THE RIGHT HONOURABLE KEITH DIAZ!!!
A GLOBAL AMBASSADOR for the GREATEST INSTRUMENT THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN: That beats swimming with sharks in your OWN LOCAL POND and getting your head bitten off -- BY A MILE.
Mr. Claude you forget you are my manager. stop talking just make it happen. Line it up nah ma.......lol
The CIP has to sell the CIP, making Mr Diaz look bad do nothing to make CIP look good. Stop wasting time asking him to step down, forget about the $500, start planning your strategy for the election. The more you talk about Diaz is the less you talk about CIP.
the CIP is not a political organisation.... it have some CIP members i would like to see on the executive because of their ethic, their work rate, their communicating abilities, their management skill, and their administrating skills..
i will talk about them as the election get closer....
MANAGEMENT and ADMINISTRATIVE SKILLS? If we had any MANAGEMENT and ADMINISTRATIVE SKILLS in PAN IN TRINIDAD do you think that ELLIE MANNETTE would be RULING the WORLD OF PAN PRODUCTION in West Virginia and WHEN STEEL TALKS will be running the BIGGEST PAN SITE IN THE WORLD in NEW YORK and now the NSSBE in OHIO will be raking in MILLIONS OF DOLLARS and dominating STEELBAND EDUCATION in America?
THE THREE PILLARS OF GLOBAL STEELBAND -- ALL IN AMERICA. Not to mention the 1000 SCHOOLS plus other representations of the BRAND.
PANORAMA 2019 coming!!! Allyuh better forget KEITH DIAZ and start looking for a TUNE TO PRACTICE!!! Because allyuh eh vaguely ready for no GLOBAL STAGE!!!
Panorama! plzzz.... that thing you call panorama is the same reason we are in this mess...... because all we do is have meetings to discuss Panorama...... while them same white boys do in the rest and making a billion dollar industry of we instrument......
I not in that....
Participate yes.....thats all.....
i have to many important projects to working on than to study Panorama.....
Cecil: Ah hear KEITH DIAZ going and STEP DOWN at the end of the month. Boy, that go be REAL BACCHANAL with FIFTY people line up to replace him. Personally, I DON'T THINK that the NEW LEADERSHIP should come from the STEELBAND COMMUNITY (especially when I carefully studied what dem WHITE BOYS doing in Ohio from tomorrow). They (dem steelband men) just don't have the ADMINISTRATIVE SKILLS to run a GLOBAL ORGANIZATION -- it is the WORLD GOVERNING BODY OF STEELBAND, isn't it.
So it look like we going and jump from the proverbial FRYING PAN into MUD VOLCANO in Piparo!!!
Aquil, keep the fire burning......who would you like to see, as the next President of pan Trinbago?...peace!
the organisation in a deep deep hole and among the pan ppl in the organisation that can take us out this hole;
going on the principle of "best people for the job"
Michael Marcano, Beverly Ramsey Moore, Marie Toby, Keith Byer,...... Do some research and see what you find out about them......to me, if there are any pan persons who can save this organisation it is them.
they are also persons who see wrong things, and forth against it although executive members were their friends...
BEVERLY RAMSEY MOORE? Lord have mercy!!! Michael Marcano: What happen to the BIG 5? Marie Toby: Really? Keith Byer: RECYLCED?
KIETH DIAZ must be really laughing at ALLYUH. Boy, go back and read all dem NEW VISIONARIES on this forum and bring yourself up to speed.
And where is my pardner GREGORY LINDSAY? Boy yuh almost convince meh that meh CRYSTAL BALL wasn't working right. But I will never lose faith in it again!!!
KEITH DIAZ til 2020!!!
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