Latest update January 4th, 2025 5:30 AM
Sep 13, 2010 News
ROSE HALL TOWN, CORENTYNE – Just about one week before the observance of the town’s 40th Anniversary, the Rose Hall Town Interim Management Committee (IMC) has found itself into a tight spot. Town Clerk and Coordinator of the event, Bhoopnarine Tickapersaud said their main problem is money.
According to Mr. Tickapersaud, September 19 is the official commencement for the one-week activity. The organizers of the town day are looking at a $2.3 million budget to pull off the event.
“So far we only have about $170,000 for the rehabilitation of the Lazy Hall but not for the actual town day events. We haven’t collected any money for the town day.
We have trophies from the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and some business places. We have pledges from some big sponsors but no money as yet. We will pull it off; so far many of the days are covered in the sense of sponsorship such as the Art, Spelling Bee and Debating Competitions in terms of trophies. We still have the rest of this week to generate the funds needed. Even if we do not get the rest of sponsorship, we will still go ahead with what we have to do to observe our anniversary.”
Mr. Tickapersaud took over as Town Clerk on May 9 this year and intends to start planning for the 2011 anniversary celebration at an early date.
“The Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce was not aware of our Town Day so they did not include us in their budget this year. It was when we approached them in July then they knew of it and promised to include us next year.”
But the Chairman of the Rose Hall Town Interim Management Committee Bhadenauth Somrah is contradicting him. On Sunday, he said that Government will provide financial assistance.
“This week financial support will be received from Government agencies and other organizations. Anyone is free to come and see how the money is being spent.”
Mr. Tickapersaud blames the lack of adequate sponsorship on a dispute between the IMC and the Rose Hall Town Anniversary and Development Committee, on who has the right to host the activities. He said he is caught in the middle of it all.
In June, the Chairman of the IMC announced that the Rose Hall Town Anniversary and Development Committee was debarred from organizing the town’s anniversary and cited unscrupulous practices.
On Friday the IMC made another attempt to clear the air. According to the Town Clerk, last week, the Ministry of Local Government reiterated that the IMC is the only authorized body to host events to mark anniversary celebration of the township and it must be coordinated by the Town Clerk. This is what the Chairman of the IMC Bhadenauth Somrah had repeatedly said but, he had, from the inception, identified Dauren Deonarine of Da Entertainment Zone as the Coordinator.
Mr. Tickapersaud explained that when the authorized persons (IMC representatives) sought sponsorship for the events they were met with skepticism
“The Anniversary Committee keeps sending out letters seeking sponsorship for the Town Day. They keep saying they are the organizers of the Town Day and that they should be doing it and not the Council with Da Entertainment Zone. So, many of the big sponsors were reluctant to give any money or sponsorship without a proper clarification. But now it is clear that the Council is the only authorized body to collect sponsorship for the events.”
The Town Clerk said that the Anniversary Committee dispatched a legal document to the IMC.
“The letter is telling the Council to desist from making public statements about the 40th Anniversary celebrations. The Council’s lawyer replied saying that it severed ties with the Anniversary Committee and that the Council would be coordinating the activities and seeking sponsorship.”
In a previous interview, Public Relations Officer of the Rose Hall Town Anniversary Committee
Andrew Griffith had said that his group does not have to get permission to host the anniversary celebrations. He said authorization was given on July 8, 2004 by the then Rose Hall Mayor and Town Council to establish his organization and the main purpose is to celebrate the anniversary of the township. In June, Mr. Griffith had indicated that his organization planned a week of activities including spelling bee, impromptu speech, award ceremony, gymkhana and street fair and exhibition.
Mr. Griffith had also, in June, said that his group sought sponsorship and began their plans to host the events. Mr. Griffith denied that his organization had since solicited any funds “We are saying if they could produce evidence to say we are soliciting funds then they have a case. We are not interested in the confusion surrounding the town day activities. We, as they mentioned, have been debarred like the Chairman said.”
And that is not all; the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force cannot host gymkhana and paratrooping, respectively, on the same day and the same time at two different venues.
The Rose Hall Town Anniversary Committee has no permission to host the gymkhana.
The Town Clerk indicated that the curtain would come down on the Town Day events on September 26th with gymkhana compliments of the Guyana Police Force Gymkhana and a paratrooping exercise by the Guyana Defence Force. This starts at 11:00 hours at the Area ‘H’ Ground in Rose Hall Town. The Town Clerk said that this has no connection to the one being organized by the Anniversary Committee which is also for 11:00 hours on September 26th at the Port Mourant Community Centre, “Last week Wednesday five persons from the Guyana Defence Force came to finalize and inspect the location. I know the Anniversary Committee has a gymkhana and paratrooping but it is not the same.”
After the Chairman of the IMC made it known that the Anniversary Committee was debarred from the anniversary celebrations, Mr. Griffith subsequently announced in August that his group would be hosting a gymkhana and sky-diving exercise.
Yesterday, Mr. Griffith said that plans for the gymkhana and paratrooping are well on stream, “It’s slated for September 26 at the Port Mourant Community Centre Ground. Everything is in place and we are to meet tomorrow Monday with the Guyana Police Force ‘B’ Division to fine tune arrangements. We got permission from the Guyana Police Force to host the gymkhana at Port Mourant from 11 o’clock free of charge. The Army is in full support and will be coming up to view the venue during this week for a possible jump. The gymkhana is what we are focusing on…bringing the army, bringing the police with the events to Region Six.”
Commander of Division ‘B’ of the Guyana Police Force, Assistant Commissioner Steve Merai said the Anniversary Committee has no permission to host the gymkhana.
He said that the organizers were informed of this. According to him, the IMC presented a document indicating that they are the only ones permitted to host any event in observance of the anniversary for Rose Hall Town and applied for permission to stage the gymkhana. The Anniversary Committee had also applied. But the decision was taken by senior officials of the Guyana Police Force to work with the IMC since it is for the benefit of the township and in honour of the 40th year of existence.
The Opening Ceremony for Rose Hall Town Day is slated for September 19th. This would take the form of an Inter-Faith Service and concert along with a fitness walk, races and a clean-up campaign.
September 20th, the official anniversary day, is the Cake-Cutting and Award Ceremony. Less fortunate persons were identified and are to be fed the following day. The Art Competition, Spelling Bee and Debate are set for September 22nd. The next day would see teams vying for supremacy in basketball and cricket. The exhibition and theatrical show is on for Friday September 24th. The street fair and after party are slated for September 25th.
The Town Clerk noted that the Da Entertainment Zone, headed by Dauren Deonarine, is working in tandem with the council to pull off the event and is responsible for the entertainment aspect only.
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