People are saying that the Road March competition has now become a farce and that it should be renamed to a Stage March competition, since the Carnival bands play one tune on the roadway and another when they reach the judging stage.
People are saying that they can recall the years when calypso was the voice of the people and the road march was the people’s choice, but sadly this has changed over the last twenty or so years and it has now been replaced with a stage march that is rigged.
The competition is nothing but a well-orchestrated pappy show decided by corporate interests, partisan airplay, financial enticements and now politics.
People are saying that to prove their point, a road march calypso in 1963 (The Road make to walk on Carnival Day) can still be remembered and sung today in 2026 by those of a particular generation, but that they are sure few persons can remember Machel Montano’s road march calypso of 2012, Pump Yuh Flag.
People are saying that they are not blaming the entertainers for what the road march competition has become since the entertainers have found a way to “eat ah food”.
People are saying the blame should rest squarely on the shoulders of TUCO and the NCC and that the road march should no longer be called the people’s choice, but just “the Choice” because the people have been left out for years.People are saying that the calypso artform has suffered the same fate alongside incompetent judges and lack of resources and today it has died a natural death.
Shut up Des Vignes
People are saying that the MP for Diego Martin West, Hans des Vignes should stop talking rubbish as his predecessor, Dr Keith Rowley, was prone to do. The member for Diego Martin West is calling on the government to provide clarity amid growing public scepticism surrounding this year’s Carnival competitions.
Des Vignes made the comments last Thursday at his party’s weekly press conference. Des Vignes in calling for accountability, said that accountability should not be dismissed as conspiracy and he called for a full breakdown of the Carnival expenditure, particularly the cost associated with the Carnival villages.
People are asking where was Des Vignes during the last ten years when the Carnival was being organised by his PNM government. How many audited financial reports were ever submitted and what was the cost overruns in the construction year after year. In the rental of tents? Chairs? Toilet facilities?
People are saying that the conduct of the 2026 was of an exceptionally high standard and all praise has to be given to the National Carnival Commission (NCC) and the Ministry of Culture.
People are saying they are heartened to see that the NCC has already started planning for the 2027 Carnival scheduled for February 8/9. In 2028 Carnival will be celebrated on February 28/29 and in 2029 on February 12/13. In 2030 when the general elections are constitutionally due, Carnival will be celebrated on March 4/5
Tobago bandleader Marcellin Nedd
Tobago bandleaders angry at poor Carnival
People are saying that they have taken note of veteran Tobago bandleader Marcellin Nedd who has described the 2026 national celebrations in Tobago as “the worst ever”. Nedd accused the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) of undermining the national festival and diverting all resources toward the October celebration.
Nedd said bandleaders and the public were left frustrated owing to a lack of funding, inadequate advertising and poor organization. “It was very stressful,” she said. “For me, this was one of my worst Carnival. It is 24 years I am doing this on my own and this was not good. It was very stressful indeed”.
People have also taken note of the comments of bandleader Jennelle Eastman of YEN-K World Design who labelled the THA’s handling of the Carnival as “sabotage”. “They want to shut it down, that’s why they sabotaging we.
They do real wickedness this year”. “This year will be the last year with me and the THA and this mas’ thing. I feel I going in Trinidad next year”, says Eastman.
People are saying that Nedd and other band leaders in Tobago so affected may have forgotten that Chief Secretary Farley Augustine has repeatedly said his aim is to move away from the national event and instead to focus on Tobago’s October Carnival as the island’s flagship event.
People are saying that they do not see why Tobago should have two Carnivals or why the government as to fund both of them; one is bound to suffer. Tobago should have its own Carnival just like Antigua, St Lucia and the other countries in the Caribbean.
Promises, Ports, and the Price of Patience
People are saying that the Government needs to stop playing politics with people’s livelihoods, because while the politicians debate in Port of Spain, the real economy is bleeding in Tobago.
People are saying that it is a daily nightmare for Tobago business owners who are watching their perishables rot and their cash flow dry up while the Blue Wave Harmony sits at the dock with a broken hydraulic ramp.
People are saying that when Diane Hadad has to spend eight hours at the port just hoping a boat will sail, it shows that the system is running on prayers instead of proper logistics.
People are saying that the Tobago Chamber of Commerce laid out the cold, hard facts: a logistics cycle that used to take one day now takes up to three, forcing truckers to sleep at the port without proper facilities.
People are saying that if you have to run a refrigerated truck generator for 48 hours just waiting for a boat, that extra cost is going to hit the consumer right in the grocery aisle. People are saying that the Port Authority can issue all the statements they want about “contingency measures” and “sea trials,” but the reality on the ground is that people are struggling to find basic items like bread and butter.
People are saying that leasing a vessel for US$25,000 a day that can’t reliably pull up its own ramp is a massive failure of procurement, and the Government needs to be transparent about what is really going on.
People are saying that amidst all this chaos and incompetence at the port, the only glimmer of hope for the business community is that Minister of Works and Infrastructure Jearlean John, Tobagonian by birth, has stepped into the ring.
People are saying that they have deep faith in Minister John’s transparency, because when the vessel failed to depart, she didn’t hide behind bureaucrats; she faced the media directly to confirm the facts and assure the public that updates were coming.
People are saying that they know her track record of rolling up her sleeves and tackling the hardest projects head-on.
People are saying that if there is one person in the Cabinet who has the grit, the fearlessness, and the absolute drive to cut through the red tape and finally deliver a fully functional sea bridge for Tobago, it is Jearlean John, and that they are sure she will get the job done!
