BY ANDRE BAGOO Friday, September 5 2008

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Culture Minister Marlene Mc Donald...

WITH CARNIVAL only five months away, planning of the festival may now have to be rushed because of the absence of a board at the at the National Carnival Commission (NCC), stakeholders in the industry warned yesterday.

Their dismal forecast came even as Culture Minister Marlene Mc Donald assured that all plans for next year’s celebrations, which are to again take to the streets, are on track and have not been affected by the absence of an NCC board.

Speaking at yesterday’s post-Cabinet press briefing at the St Clair Office of the Prime Minister, Mc Donald revealed that a new board has been constituted and will be put for Cabinet approval next Thursday. She insisted that the delay in appointing a new board had not had an adverse impact on preparations for the festival.

“The delay has not affected the preparations for Carnival and as a matter of fact as soon as we name the board we will have a conference and we certainly will speak to the national public as to where we go from here,” the minister said.

Without specifying, she added, “We have been doing a lot of work at the ministry, putting things in place in preparation for Carnival 2009. So I am not at all too concerned as to the fact that we would not have a good Carnival 2009.”

“The board certainly will kick in and we will face the public with our plans,” she assured.

The former board of the NCC was chaired by Keston Nancoo, a vice president of corporate services at Guardian Life Holdings. Board members included Pan Trinbago President Patrick Arnold, Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation (TUCO) President Michael Legerton as well as Owen Hinds Snr, Paul Atherly, Ulric Miller and Jocelyn Bodden.

But the term of the board’s appointment expired on March 31, leaving the statutory body–which is charged by law with the management of Carnival — without a head.

Mc Donald blamed the delay on the reluctance of candidates coming forward because to the invasive requirements of the Integrity in Public Life Act, which mandates persons serving on high-powered government boards to declare assets and income.

Nancoo yesterday agreed that this may have been the case. But he warned that the delay in reconstituting the board, will certainly impact on Carnival and give the new board an unenviable task.

“It must have (an impact) because planning for Carnival requires very early action,” he said.

Legerton explained that the selection of locations as well as the hiring of contractors and the starting of construction work demand advance planning, something that may have to be now rushed over the next five months.

“The people on the board are going to have their work cut out along with the contractors. This is going to come like night meets day,” he said. “One does not yet know which venues are going to be used so you cannot really plan if you don’t know that. Whenever the board comes it’s going to be rushed.”

All this as Mc Donald assured that work on the National Carnival and Entertainment Centre will begin by December, making it clear that Carnival will not have a home for a third year running.

“I don’t know if we have enough time. It will be a rush. It was a rush last year and I am kind of feeling uncomfortable,” Arnold said.