PM Kamla steps in to "avert crisis" for Emancipation celebrations

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar intervened Friday to assist the Emancipation Support Committee (ESC) with its annual emancipation celebrations and offered an additional $500,000. She also said the government would cover the cost of transportation and tent rental.

And she apologised for the delay in releasing funds. In confirmed that ESC chairman Kafra Kambon told the media Persad-Bissessar assured him that such a situation would not reoccur.

On Thursday Arts and Multiculturalism Minister Winston Peters announced that his ministry would give the committee $1 million and another $500,000 would come from the Office of the Prime Minister. 

He also promised $150,000 from the Ministry of Tourism and offered to pay the costs for tents and other infrastructure work for festivities.

However Peters said the Grand Stand venue would not be available because of an infrastructure problem that could not be corrected in time for the celebrations. he offered another venue at the Savannah.

However, the ESC was unhappy with these developments, which led to the PM's intervention.

Kambon told the media Persad-Bissessar called him to get the committee's views on the government's contribution to the annual emancipation day celebrations.
The Prime Minister made a commitment to the ESC in the following areas: 

• The Government would give a cash grant of $2 million, the same in 2010
• The Government would pay for the use of PTSC buses to transport people to Port of Spain for the Emancipation Day Kambule street procession
• The Ministry of Arts and Multi-culturalism would pay for the rental of tents in the Emancipation Village
• A technical team of NCC and ESC would meet to review the technical issues which threaten the use of the Grand Stand determine if the problem can be corrected on time without compromising public safety.
• The relevant agencies would provide infrastructural support to the ESC to establish a suitable alternative if the Grand Stand venue cannot be used