by Keith Subero
Trinidad Express
...What evolved is a clique of pan players, those with the loudest voices in the panyards, being voted into office, then clinging on for personal gain. The result, as I have written repeatedly, could be found in Pan Trinbago's audited accounts for 2017, which reveal liabilities totalling $8,785,290 and additional $9,081,621 owed for an international conference held in 2016 to discuss Panorama.
In addition, CCN TV6 carried news reports-not denied so far-that the homes of executive members were renovated with Pan Trinbago funds, and in November 2016, the organisation's vice president Byron Serrette resigned over allegations that the organisationhad purchased two luxury vehicles, a BMW X5, and an AudiQ7 in London for executive use.
That November, Community Development Minister, Nyan Gadsby-Dolly expressed her alarm at the allegations of financial impropriety, because, as she said, it involved millions of taxpayers' dollars. She promised a forensic audit of the organisation's expenditure, which was expected to include the $1,113,750 in honoraria and bonuses that the executive paid to itself in 2016.
That, however, was the last the country heard from Minister Gadsby-Dolly on those allegations. Since then, her ministry has granted further subventions to the body, which since has demanded another payment for the pan players of Panorama 2018.
My suggestion? Now that Keith Diaz and executive members are back in office, based on the High Court judgment, they must all be called to account for the organisation's $30 million-plus in liabilities. Secondly, the existing structure in which pan players are elected to run the organisation should be disbanded. This should be replaced by a professional team, which should include an experienced administrator, international marketing specialists, and a qualified accountant, supervised monthly by a board of diverse experiences including pan player representatives...
Replies
bugs and merrytonestothebone: Are either one of you an experienced administrator, international marketing specialist, or a qualified accountant?
Ah could get allyuh ah BIG WUK in PAN TRINBAGO and allyuh could split $1,113,750 in honoraria and bonuses every year.
Ah lookin' for a band to arrange for next year...See if yuh could help meh with dat...
merrytones, wah happen to your band? yuh better hold on to them, nuff arrangers cyah get work, look at Ray, 3years the man outta work.
My band, Merry Tones is a long long story...I prefer to quit while ahead...
merrytonestothebone: THIS FORUM has NOT had a long, authentic, from the ground, inside a steelband story in a very very long time. So please TELL US THE STORY!!!
THE JUDGE gave THE CIP such a BAD CONCUSSION that DEM CIP eh have NOTHING TO SAY NO MORE!!!
So, on with THE STORY -- man!!!
Not much to tell really...(Don't want to wash dirty linen in public) Typical of all good Trini band-waggonists...Yuh never good enough until somebody from foreign (in this case outside the band) say so. I gave the band three years (with pulling teeth support). We made the semis on two occassions. Time to move on...Ah not waiting for nobody to suggest that ah "go nah!"...
And my band have so much dirty linen, not enuff Breeze to clean up the mess. Seems like the story is the same from PT to band to band to band and so on. One of these days the machine go overflow.
MTTB: I think Claude maybe able to answer your request, He posted many times he could help arrange a Tune and he even give us a few lines of A female arranger who wanted more iron in the rhythm section tune he was composing ,Just let him know what category {single,small,medium,large) and Tune(own,old,new)you are interested in. Bugs could help with the production because he into Movie Making and Cecil the iron man could work with the rhythm section.
Claude say publicly ere that he doh like Pan...Pan is a setta ole noise...Yuh think I go put God outta meh thoughts and depend on him to find me a band for next year Panorama?...
The ole people had a saying..."Yuh cyar put mongoose to guard egg!"...Let all ah dem go ahead...
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next