Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has stepped in to allay the financial fears of the Emancipation Support Committee (ESC) by outlining her commitment to assist by offering an additional $500,000 and to cover transportation and tent rental expenses. ESC chairman Kafra Kambon said that during a telephone conference call with Persad-Bissessar on Thursday night, she apologised for the delay in releasing funds and assured him that such a situation would not reoccur next year under her government.
Persad-Bissessar is expected to attend the celebrations on August 1. On Thursday at the post-Cabinet news briefing, Arts and Multiculturalism Minister Winston 'Gypsy' Peters announced his ministry would disburse $1 million while $500,000 would be forthcoming from the Office of the Prime Minister. Peters also said the ESC had received $90,000 from "a promised" $150,000 from the Ministry of Tourism. He said the construction of tents and other infrastructure work would be provided to the ESC to help prepare for festivities beginning on July 28 and culminating on August 1 at the Queen's Park Savannah. On Thursday, Kambon and the ESC executive met to discuss what he called "a major crisis."
In a statement issued to the media yesterday, the ESC said the prime minister's call "averted a major crisis with respect to the ESC hosting the annual Emancipation celebrations at a level comparable to previous occasions." In an interview yesterday, Kambon said Persad-Bissessar called him to find out how the committee felt about Government's input. Kambon said he never asked Government to cover all the expenses to stage the celebrations but the sum announced on Thursday was only about half of what the ESC received last year, which was $2 million. He said the prime minister and the ESC executive negotiated until an agreement was reached.
Kambon said the ESC would now receive $2 million dollars, part of which it had received yesterday.
Additionally, the prime minister said Government would underwrite the cost of transport by PTSC buses as well as the cost of renting and erecting tents in the Emancipation Village. Both parties agreed that if repair work at the Grand Stand cannot be completed in time, the National Carnival Commission and the ministry would provide infrastructural support to set up a suitable, alternative covered space to accommodate the public.