Despite major backlash since it was revealed that the dates for this year’s third annual Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival would be changed, Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Member of Parliament(MP) V. Alfred Gray says he is certain all of the pros and cons were weighed before the decision was made.
Speaking outside of Cabinet Tuesday morning, while he did not want to say much, he said what he would say is that right now the situation is one where everyone will just have to wait and see what the outcome really is.
“Those who made the decision must have weighed all of the options and came up with the best possible solution for the time being,” he said.
“I would leave it there because I know that people are wise people and people are smart and you got to weigh the options you can’t just have everything at the same time but I am sure whatever fall out might be there is a better reason.”
When asked what affect the decisions may have on the party’s chances in the upcoming elections, Mr. Gray says he could not be sure as he was unaware of what the exact repercussion of the decisions have been.
“I don’t know the basis upon which people are upset but I think I indicated that reasonable people act reasonably,” he said.
“I’m sure the reasons would be given for the need to postpone it and no matter what you do somebody is going to be disappointed and so I’m sure the organizers and those who have the capacity to postpone would have acted in the best interest of the Bahamian people.”
Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald and Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe were also asked to respond to the backlash but did not comment on the issue.
The Bahamas National Festival Commission issued a statement late Monday evening confirming that the rumors about the postponement were true by announcing a new date and gave reason as to why the decision was made.
“The 2017 dates for Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival have been changed to May 18-20, 2017 in Nassau, The Bahamas due to unavoidable circumstances,” it said.
“Despite the event being only a month away, the Commission took the difficult decision to change the date in order to provide the highest level of participation, safety and production quality in light of a recently announced general election timetable that conflicts with the original event dates.”
