Panorama Sponsor Wants Safeguards

Details

Carnival

Wednesday, 27 June 2012 02:30

By Everton Barnes

Antigua St. John’s - The Antigua Commercial Bank (ACB), the title sponsor of this year’s steelband competition, one of the events for Carnival 2012, is urging the Carnival Development Committee (CDC) to ensure that systems are put in place to avoid a recurrence of the events of Carnival 2011.

Director and head of the bank’s marketing committee, Gordon “Banks” Derrick, made the point on Tuesday at a press briefing called to formally announce that ACB will again be the title sponsor of Panorama.

“We want to ensure that whatever has to be done to avoid a recurrence of the issues that plagued the competition last year do not happen again this year,” he stated.

Head of the Panorama sub-committee, Jason Peters, said clear provisions have been put in place to ensure that the confusion associated with judging of the competition does not happen again.

He said the Pan Association drafted a set of rules of regulations to govern all aspects of the competition and that a copy of this document has been sent to the CDC for ratification.

“Following ratification, all participating bands will have to sign this document as a condition of their involvement in the competition,” he noted.

Peters said six steelbands have confirmed their participation in the 2012 Panorama competition. These are Harmonites, Halcyon, Gemonites, Ebonites, Hell’s Gate, and Eastside Symphony.

ACB is pumping between $50,000 and $70,000 into the competition this year.

Last year, Hell’s Gate Steel Orchestra was adjudged winner of the competition, but later Halcyon challenged the decision after it learnt that it had amassed more points than Hell’s Gate.

The CDC said the ranking and not the points system was used the judge the competition. But Halcyon said this was never explained to the band before, and after continued protests Culture Minister, Eleston “Namba” Adams, ruled the competition a tie in March this year.

Hell’s Gate said it does not accept the minister’s decision and it will take the matter to the courts.

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