CHESTER SAM­BRA­NO

Op­po­si­tion Leader, Kam­la Per­sad-Bisses­sar SC MP, is call­ing on the gov­ern­ment to have a vir­tu­al car­ni­val.

Yes­ter­day, in an event called “Spot­light on the Bud­get”, Prime Min­is­ter Dr Kei­th Row­ley said Car­ni­val 2021 was not on.

Speak­ing hours lat­er at a UNC vir­tu­al meet­ing, Mrs Per­sad Bisses­sar said she agrees with the po­si­tion of the Prime Min­is­ter giv­en the pan­dem­ic fac­ing the world.

But she said there could still be an av­enue for stake­hold­ers to ben­e­fit.

“So all the peo­ple who par­tic­i­pate in Car­ni­val—all the artistes, and all the re­al­ly tal­ent­ed, cre­ative peo­ple—can have a chance,” the UNC leader stat­ed.

“We can have a Car­ni­val across the world—vir­tu­al. It can be­come a forex earn­er,” she said, “for those who are in­volved in this mas­sive event each year.”

She added: “Apart from the ac­tu­al rev­ellers on the streets, you can vir­tu­al events, Prime Min­is­ter.”

Mean­while, in a press re­lease is­sued ear­li­er to­day, Min­is­ter of Tourism, Cul­ture and the Arts, Ran­dall Mitchell, agreed with PM Row­ley that “it can­not be busi­ness as usu­al” and that the health and safe­ty of this coun­try’s cit­i­zens is a top pri­or­i­ty, where Car­ni­val is con­cerned.

Min­is­ter Mitchell con­firmed that he was in dis­cus­sions with all Car­ni­val stake­hold­ers, with a view to en­sur­ing “Trinidad and To­ba­go’s Car­ni­val re­mains at the fore­front of the glob­al Car­ni­val land­scape”, while ful­ly cog­nisant of the new nor­mal re­al­i­ties of a COVID-19 world pan­dem­ic.