After listening to Brenda Baptiste one morning, I became very concerned about those soca artistes who were recently given official passports by government.
Basically what Brenda was doing is to correct the misconception in some peoples’ minds that these persons were granted diplomatic passports when in fact they were awarded official passports by the powers-that-be.
I am fully cognizant of the difference between a diplomatic passport and an official passport with the former carrying more weight and significance.
However, what concerns me more is the failure of the government to tell us the criteria that was used to grant these six soca artistes official passports.
I remember that former Senator Arley Gill as Culture Minister in the former NDC government playing a big part in drawing up the guidelines for the awarding of these official passports.
If my memory serves me right one of the things set down in the document is that the artiste must have at least ten years in the business in order to be considered for an official passport.
There was some other criteria which had to do with the character of the individual and the work he or she has done in his or her community.
If I am correct then some questions have to be asked of the current Minister of Culture to tell the nation whether the NNP had made changes to the criteria as laid down by former Sen. Gill and others under the NDC government.
If no changes were made then how in heaven’s earth the NNP government can then just award official passports to some of the six artistes just because they took part in a competition in TNT and won some of the major prizes.
If I am not wrong with my info then the NNP must have some kind of a reason for giving the six official passports. What can that be?
I would like to get the thinking of former Sen. Gill on the issue as he is now a big NNP supporter.
There is also one artiste who holds an official passport and should be asked to surrender it. This is the NNP frontline soca man who has had a few brushes with the law.
I seem to remember that this gentleman was charged a few years ago with some kind of a physical attack on a judge. Isn’t that true? It was all over in the media back then.
Why would an individual with such a questionable track record among other things be given an official passport by government to move around the world?
I am appealing to the reporters to ask the Culture Minister at the next government press conference to produce the critera that was used to award the official passports to the six soca artistes.
Calypsonians such as Ajamu, Scholar, Tallpree, Mr. Killa and Black Wizard are more than qualified for official passports and in some cases diplomatic passports for their contributions to the artform over the years.
But the last six …. Too much question marks over their heads.