Free National Movement’s (FNM) deputy leader has warned that next year’s Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival will be another “big party but economic failure”, unless the organising committee gets an “urgent jump start”.
K. Peter Turnquest told Tribune Business: “After an almost $6 million net loss from last year’s carnival, partly due to lack of proper planning and financial control, it is unthinkable that the Government and the organising committee would even contemplate taking on this massive undertaking again without proper planning, clear financial goals and controls, structure and organisation.
“This can be nothing more that pure negligence and callous disregard for the Public Treasury and hard-earned taxpayer dollars, and portends of another fiscal failure.”
Mr. Turnquest was speaking after Bahamas National Festival Commission (BNFC) chairman, Paul Major, admitted last week that it had yet to begin planning for May’s event.
“It seems to me that, in the absence of an urgent jump start to the organising committee’s activates, we will be writing the story of another big party but economic failure,” said the east Grand Bahama MP. “All of this is against the backdrop of the Government’s failure to provide any substantial increased subvention to the Junkanoo groups in comparison to the funding wasted on last year’s Carnival.
“ You will recall that as a reaction to the criticism over the funding allocated to Carnival versus Junkanoo, the Government promised a substantial increase in support to the various groups. We now know this is approximately $30,000. However, one wonders how much was contributed to each Carnival group as a comparison,” he added.
“Further, it has been reported that Junkanoo ticket sales have been less than stellar for both parades. This is unusual and raises the question as to whether patrons are fatigued, tapped out financially or whether interest has moved on given the party Carnival offered.”
The Commission faced strong criticism last year for going over-budget and a lack of proper planning. Following its $11.3 million investment in the festivities, the Government reaped $8.3 million in combined direct and tax revenues, with the latter providing $6.7 million of that sum.
The direct revenue, which totalled $1.6 million, largely came from ticket sales and cash sponsorships, according to Mr. Major. The Commission concluded that the total direct economic activity generated by Carnival was about $19 million, including $5.5 million in Grand Bahama.
Mr. Major said back in July that the Commission had expected to begin its international marketing campaign for next year’s event by early fall 2015, with the low ratio of foreign to local participants at the inaugural event due to a late promotional push.
By NATARIO McKENZIE
Click here to read more at The Tribune
