The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

Colours were unfairly treated in the B category 2024 New Year’s Day Junkanoo Parade, said Dion Miller, Chairman of the Junkanoo Corporation New Providence.

Fancy Dancers was awarded first prize in the B category, beating out Colours by a few points amidst heavy protest.

On a recent radio talk show, the chairman said that the glaring breach of the rules that were missed or ignored by the judges and further agreed by the JCNP, Colours was disadvantaged because the penalty judges intentionally did not award any penalties to Fancy Dancers for having their entire brass section without hats, skirts, or shoulder pieces which is mandatory.

The judges further exasperated the misfortune by awarding the Fancy Dancers the overall costume prize even though the entire brass and other group members needed to be appropriately attired.

Colours protested vigorously on January 2, 2024, which was well within the allotted time required.

The chairman, however, did accept responsibility for the JCNP for not having any recourse, laying the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the Parade Management Team (PMT), which would have overseen the valid protest presented promptly.

There is no excuse for the injustice done to Colours, a group that played by the rules, according to Miller.

Junkanoo should be about integrity and not about people’s personal preferences.

It doesn’t matter how many times Colours won; that does not give anyone the right to do as they wish rather than what the rules say.

Fancy Dancers should not have placed with the well-deserved penalties earned.

It is always possible to do the right thing.

IVOINE W INGRAHAM

Nassau,

February 18, 2024.