San Fernando Mayor Marlene Coudray said yesterday she would not be held to ransom by greedy people. Coudray's comment follows a pan boycott of San Fernando's celebration of 22 years of city status. Disagreement over the appearance fee caused San Fernando steelband players to boycott "Pan in the City" on Sunday on Coffee Street.
Chairman of Pan Trinbago South/Central Zone Elton Bain said, yesterday: "We sent in a budget for an appearance fee of $5,000 and they countered it with $3,000 and panmen refused it." Mayor Coudray apologised for the cancellation of the pan and to the disappointed fans who came out to participate.
She said: "We had an arrangement with them (Pan Trinbago) and two days before the event someone tried to change it." Saying she had to struggle to get the money to pay the $3,000 appearance fee to 12 bands since the corporation got a budget cut, Coudray said a last-minute decision was taken to cancel the event.
Suggesting politics was at play, Coudray sounded a warning: "The corporation will not be held to ransom. I deal with people who want to play pan, not with people who want to play politics."