PanTrinbago’s high note

Monday, February 7 2011

PanTrinbago’s decision to make up the $200 difference between this year’s reduced fee for pan players taking part in Panorama and what was paid out formerly, through seeking to raise revenue to meet the shortfall, is worthy of some praise.

Cabinet had reduced the fee from $1,000 to $800 as a result of the shortfall in overall Government revenue prompted by the current global economic downturn. While PanTrinbago had initially objected to the $200 drop, however following on meetings with Arts and Multiculturalism Minister, Winston Peters, it not only altered its stand, but decided to make up the difference itself. It is a move which embraces a welcome shift from dependency on Government for the establishing and setting of fees.

PanTrinbago should not stop at making up the shortfall, but should take the matter further and move to raise money for the award of monetary prizes to individual players at Panorama as well as bands. It could do this through the staging of special events at, for example, the National Academy for the Performing Arts and Queen’s Hall, throughout the year, with special emphasis on the period immediately preceding Carnival. Admittedly, for this it will need the financial backing of sponsors. But sponsorship of the Arts is accepted internationally, as even shows put on at New York City’s famed Metropolitan Opera House are largely sponsored.

While sponsorship of the nation’s steelbands since 1964 has been a major contributory factor in the improvement of both the quality of the musical arrangements for pan and of the standard of performance of the players, nevertheless the financial benefits to the players themselves are still relatively small. In this context, the former PNM administration introduced a system of paying $1,000 to pan players participating in Panorama. It should be noted though that this was introduced prior to the international economic downturn.

The ongoing international financial crisis which caused a severe contraction in Trinidad and Tobago Government revenue at all levels — corporate, small trader and individual taxpayers — forced the present People’s Partnership administration to trim its spending, resulting in the pan players’ Panorama fee being a casualty. And although, the international price for crude, which had slipped dramatically in July of 2009, staged a recovery in 2010, nonetheless the demand for the country’s crude as well as for its energy-based products is still somewhat low.

The $200 reduction in fees for pan players at Panorama is an outgrowth of that. Meanwhile, Brian Serrette, PanTrinbago’s vice-president at a general meeting last Thursday of PanTrinbago advised members that Arts and Multiculturalism Minister Peters had made it clear to him, the day before, that the downwardly revised fee of $800 had been a decision made by Cabinet and could not be changed. “We prevailed upon him, therefore, to allow PanTrinbago to propose ways to earn more money to make up for the shortfall of $200”, Serrette pointed out, adding that Minister Peters had agreed to it.

PanTrinbago’s suggestion with respect to the developing of ways to raise money so that each pan player for Panorama would receive the $1,000 is a high note, which should be emulated by similar organisations which receive Government subventions and are in a position to raise part of their funding. What PanTrinbago should now do, however, is alert the country on the ways it intends to adopt to raise the $200 difference per player. It is a position which the entire nation should admire, and may encourage several of the country’s organisations to move, to a not insignificant extent, out of the dependency syndrome. www.panapparels.com


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  • Greetings, 

    It is interesting to note that the governing body has suggested what they would like to do,everyone appears to be somewhat pleased. Unfortunately to ME, John Public do not really support the efforts of the Pan Body, far more  the Players.

    Last year  Pan Trinbago decided to charge a fee  to be on the DRAG to listen to the same BANDS. The result, POOR.

    Yet the same folks are UP IN ARMS  by the decision of the current Cabinet. What we really want?

    I personally think that BANDS should charge a fee for persons coming into the various Pan Yards to listen to the music  during the pre Carnival season to assist in their own Fund Raising Drive.  

    WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ? 

     

  • The media has put a different spin on the issue and unfortunately it protects this bad policy of the government. We did not come out of that Pan Trinbago's meeting with the manner in which the media is portraying the events. it is setting up the organization to appear as if the organization was at fault and is now doing something to correct it. The fact is that the government was at fault on this particular issue and Pan trinbago should have pursued it in a manner which states that the interest of the ordinary Pan players comes first so in the interim we will step in and pay the players but at the same time they should have made it quite clear to the cultural minister and the Media that the entire Pan Community local and international is protesting this decision by means of a Petition and are demanding an immediate audience with the Prime Minister to address this issue. It is unconceivable that after more than 7 months in power that the Prime Minister has not yet found the time to meet with the organization.

     

    Pan Trinbago has to stand up today and call for a Media & Press conference to initiate a meeting with the Prime Minister of T&T. The world Pan Community is calling on Pan Trinbago to make this move now. Pan Trinbago has to use the leverage that it now has ( the Panorama Season). It also should be explained to the media that if the audience with the Prime Minister is not acknowledged during this Panorama season that it could put the Panorama finals at Risk of  happening...... Could 'The World's Governing Body for Pan'  the organization Pan Trinbago take that Stand.

    This is Doing Something For Pan......The world is watching ................the petition link

     

    http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/nationals-and-steelpanlovers

    Salah

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