Seeing red at Chaguaramas

The chaos surrounding the recent Flugtag event provoked a wide national discussion regarding the  unfortunate drowning of Nicholas Simmons and Dimitri John, the impenetrable traffic that inconvenienced thousands who had nothing to do with the Flugtag event, the petty crime and in general the feasibility of hosting massive events in Chaguaramas.

According to various reports, not only were travellers who were stranded in the gridlocked traffic relieved of their property by petty criminals, but on the commercial side, according to Leader of the Opposition, Dr. Keith Rowley, the vendors at the St. Peter’s Day celebrations were also “deprived” of their earnings, from what could otherwise have been a profitable trading day once in the year.

The only smiles came from the Flugtag event planners, prize winners, and the Carenage fishermen who did a bustling trade in shuttling some of the 30,000-plus visitors to event by the sea, completely ignoring their safety right under the very eyes of our well-equipped Coast Guard.

Although the Chaguraramas area might be desirable due to its ambiance and remoteness from ‘neighbours’, at present, the area simply cannot accommodate Flugtag-type events, if only because of the sheer size of the crowd and traffic. The incidents surrounding the Flugtag were similar to what happened when events were sited along our eastern coastline and the roads leading thereto. One letter-writer to the Editor reminded readers of similar chaos surrounding the Bathtub Derby and Holy Week, the Ash Wednesday Cool Down and Easter Monday Musical Explosions in the 1990s, and the chaos that erupted.

Here we are, almost a quarter century later, beset by the same chaos.  We must be cognisant of the fact that the only road access in and out of Chaguaramas leads to and from a military base, and it may not suit national security interests to make the area easily accessible from various points.  The western peninsula, without the benefit of forward thinking traffic and transport management, simply cannot physically accommodate this type of event.

Sadly, the most widely publicised outcome of the Flugtag event has been that no one accepted responsibility for the unfortunate incidents.  Instead, there has been much buck-passing and spinning, none of which impressed the national public.  In the Chamber’s view, Lady Luck smiled on the Authority and the organisers, albeit with a Mona Lisa smile.  In future we urge the CDA to do whatever is necessary to prevent future nuisances and ensure that the Constitutional right of citizens to enjoy their property and its free uninterrupted access thereto.

Neither can the Environmental Management Agency, the Magistracy or law enforcement authorities ignore what occurred.  In the past, they acted responsibly in halting its equivalent in Mayaro and Manzanilla.  So too, must they discharge their sacred responsibilities in all instances to enforce the law without fear or favour, malice or ill will. At a time when Minister Sandy and Police Commissioner Gibbs are promising more police officers on the street, the Police Service can ill afford the huge amounts of manpower needed to preserve law and order for events attracting over 30,000 patrons.  At the same time, the relevant authorities should consider including requirements, for example, of plans for transport, public media advisories, security, etc., before permissions are granted.

We trust that this Chamber article is timely, as Carnival 2012 preparations have formally commenced and bands are now being launched.  Venues for events booked a year ago, or from year to year require statutory sanction. The number of cars on our roads is increasing daily but our roads are not, particularly those to Chaguaramas and our other coastlines. The entertainment sector, with the assistance of our regulatory authorities, must identify locations which comfortably cater to these seasonal events, without placing patrons and the rest of T&T at risk. Perhaps, the time is ripe for investment in this sort of venue, as we conservatively estimate revenue from the pre-Carnival events to be in the millions exclusive of those during the rest of the year.  The Chamber sees an opportunity for revenue generation here for our tourism, Carnival, entertainment and culture stakeholders.