Panmen staged a peaceful protest outside the head office Pan Trinbago yesterday demanding the immediate resignation of its president Keith Diaz and the entire executive.
The protest was mounted in the wake of the non-payment of monies to panmen for Panorama 2016.
Manager of Power Stars steelband Gregory Lindsay and pannist Dane Gulston said panmen were fed up of being disrespected and misrepresented by the current executive.
There was a police presence during yesterday's lunchtime protest at Park Street, Port-of-Spain.
The police at one time advised the demonstrators to maintain silence during the protest.
Lindsay and Gulston attempted to meet with Diaz, who was upstairs the building to present a letter calling for his immediate resignation but this was not achieved. Lindsay said the letter was written by Gulston on behalf of the recently formed Pan Players Movement of T&T.
For the past several week the disgruntled pan players have been claiming disrespect from Diaz and the Pan Trinbago executive. They insisted yesterday that they have had enough and the Diaz executive must resign immediately and allow an interim executive comprising the chairmen of Pan Trinbago's regional committees to govern the body until a new executive was elected.
Lindsay said the time was limited and Diaz must go now to ensure the 2017 Panorama takes place. He said there will be no Panorama competition in T&T if the outstanding issues affecting panmen were not resolved.
Lindsay called on Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to intervene.
"Dr Prime Minister where are you? Act now or not a (pan) note will play in this country."
Lindsay said: "This army of pan people bigger than the T&T Defence Force, respect the pan."
The panmen were insisting that a meeting be held with Diaz. Gulston told reporters that he wanted to tell Diaz to his face that it was time for him to resign in the interest of the pan movement.
"We need some better representation," he insisted.
Yesterday, National Carnival Commission chairman Kenny De Silva said there will be Panorama competition for Carnival 2017 and his body would intervene in the dispute.
Last Wednesday, Diaz was forced to abort a two-and-a half hour meeting with panmen as they insisted "no money, no Panorama."
The extra-ordinary meeting, which Diaz later described as unsuccessful, was intended to discuss the issue of the non-payment of money owed to panmen for performances during Carnival 2016 and allocations for 2017.