Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 14/Nov 07:30

It’s all just noise

THE EDITOR: Here’s the problem with the statement from Culture and Community Development Minister Michelle Benjamin on the discontinuation of Carnival fetes at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA): it undermines all of the minister’s previous public relations about meeting with stakeholders of the national festival. Since her appointment in early May, the minister has been meeting with Carnival, culture and community stakeholder groups, many of which have been highly publicised. I haven’t seen a meeting with the TT Promoters Association, but in September the minister met with Jules Sobion, CEO of Caesar’s Army, who hosts a fete called Bacchanal Road that has taken place at the BLCA. One wonders whether noise pollution and the use of BLCA ever came up in that meeting. Benjamin is caught. We get that. She’s caught because there she was doing the PR thing and meeting with stakeholders. Her people even branded it “Minister Meets” with a hashtag and all. But then up comes the slick-looking chairman of Udecott (also the chairman of First Citizens), Shankar Bidaisee, who pronounces in true overlord style, “no more fetes at Brian Lara” due to wear and tear. And if that was not enough, the Prime Minister weighs in and doubles down, and comes up with the “too much noise” argument. I guess she needed to reinforce the pronouncement from a favoured, obviously trusted loyalist. Who can argue with noise? It is the annual cry from residents across the country in relation to Carnival events. In a country that seems to have a love-hate relationship with Carnival: we want the foreign exchange and the business it generates, but we don’t want to admit that we like to party, wear feathers and beads, and drink alcohol. Here’s the thing: has anyone even bothered to ask the Environmental Management Authority (EMA), whose job it is to check noise levels at events like fetes, whether in fact the sound from the BLCA is above the legal limit? Interestingly, the last time there was any news reporting on noise pollution and complaints at that venue was in 2022, after a fete in May. Back then, the EMA said it had prepared a report on the incident and would be making recommendations to the promoters and the government. Meanwhile, events have continued at the venue, not only during the Carnival period. So, what has prompted the PM’s sense of urgency around “noise” all of a sudden? Is it that her government’s constituents in villages like Reform, Ben Lomond, St Joseph, and Cocoyea and areas like Tarouba have complained once too often? What of other venues like the Hasely Crawford Stadium, the Queen’s Park Savannah, the Queen’s Park Oval, and other stadiums? People live around those venues as well. Do their experiences with noise even count? And why stop there? Why not check noise pollution and decibel levels at panyards? In any event, let’s really place this culture storm in the teacup it belongs – just another red herring to divert attention from the economic and political challenges this PM is yet to solve: • Crime is not “going down,” even in a state of emergency. • Ministers afflicted with foot-in-mouth disease. • Alienating Caricom. • Supporting the US military strikes in our waters, which will surely land her and her Foreign Affairs Minister before The Hague. • Thousands are unemployed and facing empty bank accounts and pockets this Christmas and Carnival. They likely won’t be able to afford a fete at the BLCA or anywhere else for that matter. • No relief to the foreign exchange crisis. Need I say more? I fear very soon there’ll be more than noise concerning our PM and her Culture Minister. ALISON CHANG via e-mail The post It’s all just noise appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.