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I raised one brow when Colin Lucas moved from being Chairman of the National Carnival Commission to becoming the Acting Chief Executive Officer. But my both eyebrows raised when he was succeeded by former UNC Minister of Culture Winston “Gypsy” Peters.
Seamlessly moving from director to executive is not a new phenomenon in sweet T&T but that doesn’t make it palatable. We have come to a new normal which flies in the face of good governance.
(Copyright TTPS)
From active politician to Commissioner of Police, and alleged ‘gang leader’ to stormer of the President’s House and back to being arrested by the Police; the stench is suffocating and the behaviour shameful.
The judges of the 2019 Extempo competition will have to engage in deep compartmentalisation to not see their chairman on stage but only an Extempo artiste. They would have to forget on whose behalf they are paid to judge the competition and see it only as an art form meant to promote one genre of the cultural milieu that is Carnival.
They would be required to engage in a level of maturity and objectiveness that will not be influenced by their prior feelings or opinions about their chairman.
To be clear, here’s my concern. The Chairman according to the “State Enterprises Performance Monitoring Manual” is responsible for “ensuring at all times the recognition by the Board of the distinction between Board issues and Management issues.”
The judging of the Extempo competition is a management issue for which the NCC chairman has ultimate responsibility. As a participant in the competition, will he be able to carry out his responsibility if there is a challenge?
Maybe he will, given the ease with which he has been able to traverse both the red and the yellow political parties.
One unintended consequence is the sending of the message that once you are in power you can flaunt the rules to suit your every whim and fancy. Gypsy being in the extempo competition may be seen as ‘a small thing’ since the financial rewards are small; but it isn’t.
The message is wrong from a governance viewpoint. It unfortunately represents a prevalent attitude by those in power that ‘we are in charge’ and—no matter what you think—we will run this place as we see fit, even if we run it into the ground.
I do hope for his sake that Gypsy is not crowned the Extempo king but the data suggests otherwise. It is likely that the King and the Chairman will reign in 2019 in the same body.
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Dennise Demming grew up in East Dry River, Port of Spain and has more than 30 years experience as a communication strategist, political commentator and event planner. She has 15 years experience lecturing business communications at UWI and is the co-licensee for TEDxPortofSpain. Dennise is a member of the HOPE political party.
Dennise Demming that is one hilll that you shouldn’t die on. Judges are never members or employees of TUCO, nor are they calypsonians. They are also not part of NCC.
They are actually outside folks who are trained in the judging system by TUCO and judge independently. You yourself as a member of the public can volunteer to be a judge. You attend the seminar that is held annually by TUCO to train judges and they select you or not.
If you want to make noise about the appearance of evil, fine. But the actual process, nah!
Nicole G. Cowie what are you arguing. They are not employees but they by virtue of being contracted are agents of the organization!
I am not arguing that there is not the appearance of evil.Just trying to shed light on the judging process. It is tougher than it seems and harder to throw than you think.
Gypsy eh want no favours .
Eh plus, extempo is one of the harder categories to fudge.in terms of judging…is either you land it or you don’t.
Don understand this. the NCC is the official disbursement body for all the carnival organizations……. tuco, pantrinbago, north and south mas etc. And we have the president of the NCC, who distributes GORTT funds fighting in a final of a TUCO event, who they are supposed to give money too…………wayz boy
Gypsy is also a finalist in the National Calypso Monarch Competition. I agree with the writer. Same khaki pants!
The writer seems to either forget or not know that TUCO runs the Extempo competition. But ok.
he is as wrong as anyone else who did similarly and got away with it
Chalkdust competed as Director of Culture
I guess precedence makes it alright…
You guys seem to be putting forward arguments based on emotions and wrong assumptions rather than on anything based on logic and facts. This interview here that Gypsy did on the Morning Brew deals with most of your wrong assumptions.
GYPSY: THERE’S NO CONFLICT OF INTEREST, I’M A CALYPSONIAN
CNC3 television1, Uploaded on 22 Feb 2019
Hema Ramkissoon interviewed Winston Gypsy Peters on the Morning Brew today.
Gypsy should know better. But then again, is TT we taking about
You guys seem to be putting forward arguments based on emotions and wrong assumptions rather than on anything based on logic and facts. This interview here that Gypsy did on the Morning Brew deals with most of your wrong assumptions.
GYPSY: THERE’S NO CONFLICT OF INTEREST, I’M A CALYPSONIAN
CNC3 television1, Uploaded on 22 Feb 2019
Hema Ramkissoon interviewed Winston Gypsy Peters on the Morning Brew today.
Brian Harry y stop Gypsy he is one of d few exponents of d art form.
Collin Cudjoe It seems like too many Trinis love to old talk and don’t investigate enough to establish the accuracy of what they talking about.
Ian Socapro Henry i know gypsy well. Respect the man and his work. Have worked with him before. I’m only saying it’s bad precedent.
Brian Harry No its not! TUCO runs the Calypso Monarch and the Extempo Finals and not the NCC. Why should Gypsy stop practicing his main profession just to please a few folks who love to talk before establishing the facts of what they are talking about?
Ian Socapro Henry it’s not about facts – we all know the facts. It’s about policy. Should it be a policy we adopt as normal?
Brian Harry Gypsy is violating no policy. That is just part of the shit talk that folks are uttering without investigating the accuracy of what they are talking about.
Ian Socapro Henry dude I’m talking about setting precedent or establishing policy. At least understand what I’m asking nah
Brian Harry What Gypsy is doing now is in fact following a precedent that has already been set for many years by others who are/were part of the NCC still carrying on their main profession while being part of the NCC. I wish more Trinis would investigate what they are talking about before running with it as being factual.
Ian Socapro Henry i rest!!
Brian Harry talking shite
Collin Cudjoe Who are referring to as talking shite? I think you should listen properly to interview below to establish exactly who is talking shite.
GYPSY: THERE’S NO CONFLICT OF INTEREST, I’M A CALYPSONIAN
CNC3 television1, Uploaded on 22 Feb 2019
Hema Ramkissoon interviewed Winston Gypsy Peters on the Morning Brew today.
Collin Cudjoe I agree. Thanks for clarifying who you were addressing with your last remark.
The Extempo competition as well as Calypso Monarch competition are not run by the NCC but rather by TUCO.
Gypsy like all other Calypsonians who take part in TUCO run Calypso competitions is a member of TUCO but is not involved in running TUCO.
Ian Socapro Henry and Tuco reports to whom?
Dennise Demming To themselves!
Doesn’t the NCC distribute state resources to the various Carnival bodies – NCBLA, Pan Trinbago & TUCO?
Doesn’t the NCC have the ultimate responsibility for managing the Carnival?
NCC means “National Carnival Commission!”
I cannot see this argument unless the writer is saying that calypso and calypso competitions are NOT a part of Carnival.
I die know what to say nuh
If he enter as a competitor he should be treated as such .
Just another conflict of interest