Does the Trinidad & Tobago Government have any Say So or Powers over Pan Trinbago? If I am Funding your Organization do I have a Say So? Then again, Whose Organization is it anyway, is it The People's Organization, the T&T Organization or Keith Diaz Organization? (Allyuh tell me nah?)
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In the interest of transparency and accountability, spot audits should be done by the government, but that is too elementary. Gov't cares about pan people..........................as much as PanTrinbago does.
Good post patrick.
Pan Trinbago gets most of its funding from government sources (Ministry of Arts etc).
Like any funded organization there is supposed to be transparency and accounting for the monies spent. The funders do not always tell you what to do with the money but they usually give it to you for a purpose and then you have to account to them to show how you used the money.
This is Trinidad and almost nobody accounts for anything especially if it's government money because they never ask you to account, unless somebody raises a red flag, like a reporter or a whistle blower.
So if you want funding all you have to do is have someone on the 'inside' that will ensure that you get it or else you kowtow to the funder and do what they tell you to do.
He who pays the piper gets to choose the tune.
As such the government does not 'own' Pan Trinbago but they do have some sway over them because they have the carrot to dangle in front their noses.
It is definitely not owned by Diaz even if he may act like it.
Any organization in which the members (in this case the pan men) do not show interest enough to demand accountancy and transparency will end up in trouble and be seen to be corrupt.
It's up to the panmen and women to take control of their own organization or leave it and form their own.
Pan Trinbago cannot function without members no matter what anyone says, but will the pan players revolt?
I think not. This is T and T where everybody talks but nobody walks.
I understand you are right pan men and women are not holding the heads of there organization to any transparency and accountability, even the government is at fault,Take an example from the government of Ontario Canada, when the Caribana stake holders could not give an account of the tax payers money the government was dishing out to fund the festival, they took it over that should be the end result.But only in TnT this is allowed to go on God Blessings.
I think the government should have some say so at least as it relates to taxpayer money it donates to Pan Trinbago. There should be some conditions imposed by the government on Pan Trinbago. Pan Trinbago should be held accountable for how it uses taxpayer money or any type of funding for that matter. Benefactors in the private sector would definitely demand some conditions on any money they donate or lend to an organization. Any breach of those conditions should result in sanctions or consequences.
Another reason for establishing a " Ministry of Pan "....... then we would have a specific Minister in charge and can demand answers as to where the funding went. ( not that we're still going to get answers )
Bede, Most of Pan Trinbago funding comes from the Government [tax payers money] the Government might not have a say in how they opperate but if they cut their funding no PT.
I would like to see ODW come and "LOOK BELOW THE SURFACE" on this topic!!!
Very challenging questions, sometimes people just self-destruct. They may be suffering from the disease called "ego blindness." I've said before the longest rope have an end. FIFA comes to mind.
Bede: That is one of the most intricate questions ever posted on this forum (since I have been reading); but that is a BIG CAN OF WORMS that you are trying to open there. So you might get some intriguing answers. If you don't raise MORE QUESTIONS.
It have ah new fellah on here name Cedric and he seems to have the answers to everything. So he might know!