I applaud our Police Commissioner, Derek Byrne, for his stand to not grant road-closure permission to CayMAS nor Batabano Committee for their proposed 2020 carnival events.

He said his approach “was it is not that we could not manage it or could not handle it. There were two events in quick succession requiring very high levels of policing on the day,”

The Commish was speaking at the Finance Committee meeting last week explaining his concern at the proposal to have two similar separate events so close together.

He repeated what I have been saying, “why couldn’t this event be one single national event?”

It always used to be until permission was granted to hold a ridiculous “Mardi Gras” on the religious holiday Ash Wednesday, right in front of Elmslie Memorial Church!

Batabano was the first and has grown from its small beginnings to a colourful (if often vulgar) large street parade. Why on earth CayMAS wanted to do another one immediately afterwards made no sense at all.

Dwayne Seymour, The Minister for Culture, did spend a lot of time, trying to work with the two groups and came up with a proposal they both should have accepted.

This was:

To hold the junior event on the first weekend in May; the Grand Cayman adult carnival (both Batabano and CayMAS parades) over the second weekend in May, and Braccanal – the Cayman Brac event, on the third weekend in May.

CayMAS would not agree with it.

Their threat – “they would apply to the Governor’s Office should their road closure application be refused.”

I’m sure Seymour is quaking in his boots at this prospect – LOL.

Seymour even asked both parties to at least give his proposal a try,

It was refused.

Now, perhaps, with the Commish saying he will not grant nay permission for road closures for two separate events the two groups might see some sense.

Otherwise bang their heads together.

That’s my advice. Perhaps it might shake forth a grain or two.