The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement leader Michael Pintard renewed his call for a Junkanoo commission amid uncertainty about the status of the Boxing Day and New Year’s Day parades.

He said when he served as minister of culture, he collaborated with Junkanoo leaders to host a conclave focused on the festival’s future. One of the outcomes of that meeting was the decision to create a Junkanoo commission.

“The idea was simple, but powerful: to form a public-private partnership that could manage key decisions affecting all aspects of Junkanoo,” he said. “This structure was intended to, among other things, prevent unnecessary interference and overreach by central government into matters that could be best handled by the Junkanoo Corporation of New Providence (JCNP), the new commission, and other stakeholders.”

“Junkanoo is bigger than politics. We believed — and I still do — that narrow political, personal or family considerations should not influence decisions in our cultural festivals. Our culture is far too important to be overshadowed by short-sighted agendas.”

His comments came in light of the government’s announcement that both Valley Boys groups would be allowed to participate in the Category A division of the parades.