The Tribune

UPDATE:After enraging festival stakeholders and participants with an impromptu date change, the Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival (BJC) is back on for its original date of May 4 to 6, The Tribune understands. FULL STORY HERE.

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

AGRICULTURE Minister V Alfred Gray yesterday defended the controversial decision by Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival officials to postpone this year’s festivities, claiming that the delay was the “best possible solution” given the circumstances and that festival organisers “acted in the best interest” of Bahamians.

Mr Gray, speaking before heading into a Cabinet meeting, said for “whatever fallout” that might occur as a result of the controversial date change, there is “a better reason why it might have to be (postponed),” adding that festival organisers “must have weighed all of the options” before making the contentious decision.

However, Mr Gray said time will tell just how massive the fallout from the announced delay will be and “what the advantages are, if any”.

On Monday, Prime Minister Perry Christie confirmed that the date for the New Providence leg of this year’s Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival festivities has been suspended until after the general election. An election date has not been set; however the Office of the Prime Minister in a press statement on Sunday, announced that Parliament will be dissolved on April 11.

Officials have since confirmed that Junkanoo Carnival (Nassau) will now be held from May 18-20, two weeks after the heavily publicided initial date of May 4-6.

Festival organisers also announced yesterday that they will also drop their Grand Bahama events, which were originally set for April 21 and 22. The Bahamas National Festival Commission (BFNC) explained that it made the “difficult decision” to postpone the event due to conflicts with the general election timetable in a press statement and posted to the event’s Facebook account.

The postponement of Nassau’s festivities has “blindsided” some Junkanoo Carnival key stakeholders, with one travel company expressing disappointment and fear over potential damage to the event’s brand, as well as financial losses up to $25,000 as a result of the date change.

Meanwhile, the loss of the Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival in Grand Bahama will likely be considered another setback for the island’s struggling economy and high unemployment.

“I’m not responsible for (Junkanoo Carnival), and so I make very little comment, except to say that those who made the decision must have weighed all of the options and came up with the best possible solution for the time being,” Mr Gray said. “I would leave it there, because I know that people are wise, people are smart, and you’ve got to weigh the options. You just can’t have everything at the same time.

“And so I’d leave it like that, but I’m sure that whatever fallout might be there is a better reason why it might have to be (postponed). And so reasonable people will act reasonably … It may not happen today but it will happen sometime in the future.

“I’m sure those who had costumes made and all that will be able to use them then. But it’s just so much you can do at any one time and the decision is made to postpone it, so we’ll wait to see what the fallout is and what the advantages are if any.”

On Monday, Stephan Rolle, owner of Bluemonkey Bahamas, told reporters that the date change would negatively impact his business, Bahamas Carnival Cruise, which has booked more than 100 carnival-goers on an all-inclusive weekend cruise from Miami to Nassau.

He challenged Mr Christie to give the festival the same level of respect as the annual Junkanoo parades. He predicted the confusion would “put the nail in the coffin” for the controversial event and damage its international reputation.

Mr Rolle estimated more than $25,000 in losses for his company from marketing costs to securing the cruise vessel. As for his travellers, he projected their collective losses would exceed $150,000.

Meanwhile, Bahamas Carnival Band Owners Association (BCBOA) President Dario Tirelli told The Tribune that the news had “blindsided” his association.

When asked if he felt that the Christie administration will suffer politically from the decision to postpone the event, Mr Gray said: “Well I don’t know the basis upon which people are upset, but I think I indicated that reasonable people act reasonably.

“I’m sure the reasons would be given for the need to postpone it, and no matter what you do somebody is going to be disappointed. And so I’m sure the organisers and those who have the capacity to postpone would have acted in the best interest of the Bahamian people.”

Last week, the BNFC announced the line-up of entertainers for the third annual event and made no mention of a planned delay in the controversial festival.