Carnival and its many variants associated with this ‘national’ festival perpetuate a culture of State dependency. Now that Carnival 2026 has come to an end, I hope that the Ministry of Culture under the new Kamla-Persad UNC would set in motion a narrative to address this predatory culture.
Holika Dahaan and Phagwa will be celebrated in the first week in March and to date no budgetary allocation has been made by the Ministry of Culture. With scores of venues across the country, the organizers generally have to put money from their pockets or depend on contributions from members of the public. Most shockingly, the average MP shows very little interest in Phagwa and on most occasions do not show up when invitations are extended to them.
As for Carnival, the MPs are most visible to the extent of going on stage uninvited and announcing their presence. This is the modus operandi of a group of people who has failed to understand the source of their political power. It is quite possible that they have not read MG Smith and if they did, they continue to fail themselves. (Maybe Dr Roodal Moonilal and Dr. Kirk Meighoo should organize a tutorial to refresh their memory, thus the case for a Party School).
The PNM understands the value of mobilizing their supporters through Carnival and funding by the State under the guise of national culture. The PNM has cleverly used Carnival to strengthen its base and build black consciousness, thus explaining the use of calypso to ridicule the UNC leadership and anyone who dares to stand in opposition to PNM and its policies.
So, when the UNC goes along with the agenda set by the PNM, it is simply campaigning for the PNM or scoring its own goal. But in this age the priest plays mas and it is not uncommon to find politicians who claim to be teetotalers frequenting bars in the wee hours of the morning! This is the new dharma in the age of Kali Yug or the Dark Age!
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a success story because he is not dancing to every taal. Modi is rooted in the values of Sanatan Dharma which is universal love and brotherhood. The rise of India under Modi only demonstrates that there are growth and prosperity when the values of Sanatan Dharma is applied to public life.
Sanatan Dharma is law and order and accountability. The values in Carnival are anti-thetical to Sanatan Dharma. In Phagwa the Holikas and the Harankashipus are brought to justice while in Carnival licentious behavior is not only applauded as national culture but also used to justify the raiding of the treasury. This blatant injustice where one aspect of culture is given national status and another is marginalized, cannot continue to be ignored. The Arjuna-hour has arrived for Kamla Persad-Bissessar and her UNC government to address this naked discrimination.
