The Government has doled out $190 million to the National Carnival Commission (NCC) for Carnival celebrations this year and for the payment of outstanding fees owed to contractors dating as far back as 2010.Government is spending a further $11.95 million on prize money for the Chutney Soca Monarch and International Soca Monarch competitions.The announcement was made by Minister of Arts and Multiculturalism Dr Lincoln Douglas at yesterday's post-Cabinet media briefing at St Clair, Port-of-Spain.In response to questions, he said he was uncomfortable with the lyrical content of some chutney soca and soca songs, which may be perceived as glorifying alcohol-drinking, inciting violence and simply not making any sense at all.He said prizes worth $4.50 million will be awarded to winning artistes in the Chutney Soca Monarch and those in the International Soca Monarch competitions would get $7.45 million.
Out of the $190 million, $75 million will be passed on to the NCC for the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation (TUCO), the National Carnival Bands Association, Pan Trinbago and 52 regional Carnival groups, Douglas said.He said this year the Government had a particular challenge relating to accumulated money owed to contractors and a significant amount, $115 million, will be paid to them for work done for Carnival celebrations in 2010-2012. He said the delay in payments had to do with contractual mismanagement and the evaluation of delivery.NCC's CEO Michael Guyadeen, asked for a response, said he could not comment because he had not seen a breakdown of the figures as yet.TUCO president Brother Resistance (Lutalo Masimba) was not particularly elated about the sums awarded to the NCC for organisations like his under its umbrella. He said TUCO's allocation was about the same as last year, around $8 million.
"More than half of that is going in prizes," he said.He said the contractors who would be paid the $115 million for putting up the North Stand, the one at Victoria Square, stages, lighting and other infrastructure to facilitate Carnival celebrations, were regular contractors who were not from the mas, pan or calypso fraternities."There should be some sort of focus by the Government on the creative elements," he said.Asked about public concerns over the lyrical content of some of the chutney soca and soca songs, Douglas said Government had a supportive role to play but he was personally not comfortable with some of them."We are working with the producers and the artistes themselves to increase the quality of the show," he said.