An Open Address to Steelpan People Everywhere

by Michael L. Joseph - Pan Trinbago

The constitution of Pan Trinbago has left no room for a dictatorship. Hence the reason it states clearly that any action taken by the leader, must be ratified by the central executive. But this fellow is hell bent on doing what he wants, although being advised by the court, that he is only one man that is part of an executive.

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - Today I sit and write with the warrior spirit in me boiling near to overflow. Amongst the Orissa’s I am known as Ogunbakin, and within the Ashanti’s I am called Kofi. So I am able to exercise a greater control over my passions. However, I am quite perturbed at the way our Steelpan movement is being manipulated and out maneuvered into submission and into giving up our cultural heritage, with out consultation, or even a proper requiem to soothe the hearts of those who will die of grief, and try to settle the spirit of our disturbed ancestors who will no longer find rest while their children looses their groundings.

Presently, we are faced with a very unsettling situation, where the people in society who have for years, outlawed and vilify the practitioners of our indigenous cultural Art form, the Steelpan, by trying to stifle our freedom of expression and kill our spirit of resistance, are now licking their chops with glee, in anticipation of full control of our cultural product in our national carnival festival. A position that we physically fought to establish, and quite recently went to the civil courts of this land in defense off and to validate our status under our Democratic Republic constitution both national and organizational. And the learned judge Justice Kokaram ruled that Pan Trinbago is in fact a democratic organization that was given autonomy by an Act of parliament, (Act 5 of 1986) and should be afforded the respect as such.

The irony of this situation is that everything Afrocentric outside of some Christian Churches, must not be owned and control fully by people of African origin. It must be multiculturalized. And we are being multiculturalized smack bang in the middle of Emancipation celebrations, and in the third year of the United Nations declaration of the International Decade of People of African (Origin) descent. Are we thinking at all? Are their anything left in the psyche of the Afrocentric Trinbagonian that he is willing to standup and defend with a passion, on principle? I think not. It is clear that the fire has gone from his under belly. Given the way our young people are killing each other in the streets for no apparent reason, and we would not take a position on it, what could be expected of the people in Pan Trinbago. I remember Lord Melody sang in one of his Calypsos, “They go sell out they mother for ah piece ah paper”. Nothing change since.

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  • This Michael L. Joseph is repugnant character. I have no one to play his part in the movie.

    bugs

  • Thank you Mr Joseph.
    " But those pannist agitated over five hundred dollars, are not interested in these relevant issues. Once they get the remittance, everything cool."
    The Mandate of the October 28th AGM,2016 called for $1000.00. You are quite aware the Executive betrayed the mandate.

    "All this is happening in an atmosphere where the head of our organization in not adhering to the democratic process of our constitution."

    You know is the Executive that betrayed the 2016 AGM Mandate.

    "Let me state publicly and clearly that I am not in favor of this great sellout. Only our membership could take that position, coming our of serious deliberations and consultation"

    People selling out? ah wonder who......

    WST Feb. 23rd,2018
    "Yuh preaching bro. Time for the cultural groups to unite or continue to suffer devided. The Min. Of Culture through the NCC, is trying to take control of something they don't quite understand, and using their political office to dictate to the practicioners of the arts. Money was never the catalyst that propelled our art form."

    At the beginning of the 2016 AGM, the executive informed members that there is a plot to overtake PanTrinbago and asked the bands for their support. A hard hitting motion was moved and carried by the overwhelming majority of bands....."Strength in Numbers"
    Mr Joseph an executive member,in his argument not to carry out a dictate of the AGM,stated "De tail cyar wag de dog" Want to guess who said that Mr Joseph?

    .......Who are dese SELL-OUTS?

    "The constitution of Pan Trinbago has left no room for a dictatorship Hence the reason it states clearly that any action taken by the leader, must be ratified by the central executive."

    "Emergency General Meeting on Saturday 7th January 2017 at 1:00 p.m. at the Grand Stand, Queen’s Park Savannah"
    And you Mr P.R.O was publicizing un-constitutional Emergency General Meetings,are you,were you, in cahoots?

    "Ask members of the new visionaries, ask Bryan or the CIP members who he now have following him around with their tongues hanging out the sides of thair mouths believing that if they get into office they would revoke our membership."
    I won't speak for new visionaires and/or Bryan, but CIP members have learnt from the mistakes that others made,and have chosen to be more fluid,but calculating in their approaches......if you choose to think of our tactics and strategies as "following him around with their tongues hanging out the sides" we are quite happy that you do so.

    "Boycott Panorama 2018 is their mantra, although many of them have no Steel band to participate and those who have are already registered with Pan Trinbago waiting on the final call. These agent provocateurs spend their time on social media spreading lies and propaganda, tarnishing the image of committed officers and bringing them into public odium, disrepute and ridicule."

    There was never a call for a boycott of Panorama 2018.The Execs was selling that lie to place CIP in a bad light with certain operatives,resulting in CIP members being threatened with physical harm by an executive member,arranger. At every meeting,the Executive denied CIP's Michael Marcano an opportunity to move a motion,to remove the present executive from managing the 2018 Panorama. Based on your recent pronouncements, it seems that we were quite correct in our assessment of the present executive competence.

    BEFORE!

    WST Nov.29 2016
    "The present executive under the leadership of brother Keith Diaz, have embarked on an industrial, commercial and globalization thrust which is slowly but surely taking shape and getting off the ground. Only now to be distracted by an over ambitious individual who swears to stop at nothing to have his own way. He is not the first, and certainly would not be the last. "

    WST November,12 2017
    "I, as an officer on this present central executive for little over two years now, have not seen, condoned, indulged in, encouraged or am a part of any corruption as indicated by those malicious reprobates who are hell bent on creating confusion, and inflicting maximum damage to an organ they aspire to lead."

    AFTER?

    WST August 1,2018

    "The Central Executive cannot get a status report on our investment company to date? We are not aware of where our monies are, and what kind of investments are made on behalf members."

    This along with other very damning accusations against Mr Diaz

    What happened Mr Joseph, do you need a CIP membership form?

    Mr Joseph, on my return as a band delegate to PanTrinbago,I have been asking probing questions as others did, and the entire executive have been quite silent,or have chosen to ridicule me for asking questions about the organizations assets and debits.

    At the first meeting I attend there was talk about declaring some members "persona non grata" and I advised the meeting not to do so,and members agreed. After a couple months,on my return to TT,I found out the members were declared "persona non grata", I moved a motion to rescind that decision,and the members voted to rescind. I am quite aware that was not an action that pleased the present executive.

    But go brave Mr Fiddler......Talk yuh Talk!

  • "Are their anything left in the psyche of the Afrocentric Trinbagonian that he is willing to standup and defend with a passion, on principle? I think not. It is clear that the fire has gone from his under belly. Given the way our young [Afro-Trini]people are killing each other in the streets for no apparent reason, and we would not take a position on it, what could be expected of the people in Pan Trinbago."

    Mr. Joseph: PAN TRINBAGO could lead the fight against crime in Trinidad if they wanted to. You all have the PLATFORM and the VOICE. And I would like to see you write an informative and progressive article one day from your pulpit. You only seem to express your passion when you sense that you might be on the edge of losing YOUR POWER POSITION. You (and half the people on THIS FORUM) spend so much time worrying about THE MARDI GRAS (Non-Afro People) taking the PAN away from you (White People TIEFING THE PAN as the locals like to say in Northern California), when are you going to realize that PAN is SO BIG that EVERYBODY could get a share.

    But I would love to know if MR. DIAZ is really running for PRESIDENT for true for true ... or are you just speculating out of FEAR OF LOSS.

  •  what a lovely bunch of emancipated fellows

  • So according to Michael Joseph, THE RIGHT HONOURABLE KEITH DIAZ is RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT, AGAIN!!!

    "The amazing things now, is that this man have been able to out fox most of his adversaries into supporting him for another term in office. Yes, he is running for office again. A classic case of doing the same thing over and over for the third time in nine years, and expecting a different result. He is even attempting to go into an election without presenting an audited financial statement to the membership. He believe that Steelpan people are a very desperate bunch ..."

    DOH TELL MEH IS DIAZ TIL 2020!!!

    • Claude , why would he not run ?

      Its a paying gig , and if the steelbands send delegates who vote to re-elect him , then they deserve him!

  • Mr Joseph,

    You may be slagging off the head of your organisation now, but were you not one of the people who was in agreement with most of his actions in the past?

    If you want to vent your anger at the head of your organisation, you have your own website to do that.  WST is not your personal venting machine so don't waste your time.  We don't want to hear that.  Instead, why don't YOU give WST members the opportunity to ask YOU the burning questions about your organisation, especially about its finances.  That would be a much better use of your time and words on WST!

    • Ingrid: Michael Joseph DOES NOT post his articles on THIS FORUM.

      PAN TIMES does the POSTING!!!

      • Claude:  Thanks for your correction.  However, the fact still remains that Mr Joseph deems it fit to write an article which, on the one hand, criticises the head of his organisation whilst denying pan players their remittances on the other hand.  Whatever his reasons for his article he, and the rest of the executives, need to go.  This has been going on for far too long and, as an ex-pan player who goes to Trinidad every year, this is really embarrassing!!

  • It is said Mr. Joseph,  that " stupid people create dictatorships". Have you checked Mr.Joseph, how many dictators "run" steelbands? How many steelband leaders do things ultra vires their Constitution?

    So we complain about Pan Trinbago, but pan yards around the country are spawning dictatorships, encouraged by these "stupid people".

    When you write your dissertations, Mr Joseph, 'they' say it too long and the words too big. They can't read, don't want to read, don't like to read, don't want to learn to read, so people are reading for them. The salient points are deleted. They remain mired in their ignorance. 

    Sometimes when you write I wonder if you are spying on my band, or dem people band. Emancipation? When will we be free? When will we be free? We celebrate, we look pretty, we dance pretty, drums pretty, we shout 'black and proud' pretty.

    We are divided as the Red Sea once was, but for different reasons, Mr. Joseph.

    THE ROAD IS LONG, Mr. Joseph. LONG, LONG.

    NOTHING CHANGE SINCE.

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