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.