I highly congratulate Raymond Ramnarine, the reigning Chutney Soca Monarch for the very principled stand of not defending his title because he was not paid his winning prize money in full. And Raymond is not alone; every finalist of the 2013 Chutney Soca competition has not yet been paid in full.
And to hear Southex Promotions say that Chutney Soca Monarch at the end of the day goes on and it will happen on February 15, with or without Raymond Ramnarine, is arrogance to the highest level and this statement makes it easy to understand the disregard by Southex to artistes over time. It is not the first time that artistes have been given a raw deal and it will not be the last.
Ramnarine has every right to express his concern about competitors being allowed to use Bollywood melodies. This competition is supported by Government in large measure because I believe in their wisdom the competition is supposed to promote local culture. If this is the case there should be no room for Bollywood melodies.
Once again I make the call to chutney artistes to change their individualist attitudes and come together under an Association of Chutney Soca Artistes, for I am extremely confident that if all the finalists support Ramnarine with similar positions then all the arrogance would quickly evaporate and they would be invited to a negotiating table and given the respect that they deserve.
Moreover, I believe that there is a moral responsibility to pay all winnings in full and on time even if that means offering lower prize monies that the show itself can afford.And for those persons who decide to pay attend the show I wish for them clean toilets, toilet paper, sinks to wash their hands and not muddy grounds.I am totally against public monies being used to pay prize monies for competitions like these but that is a letter for another time.
Leela Ramoutar
Belmont