From: Trinidad and Tobago GuardianTwo entrants sue for Dimanche Gras spots.
Licks for TUCO
http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2017-02-22/licks-tucoDerek Achong
Shaliza Hassanali
Published:
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
The Calypso Monarch competition was thrown into a tailspin of controversy yesterday, after two calypsonians threatened legal action against the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians’ Organisation (TUCO) to secure spots in Sunday’s final at the Queen’s Park Savannah.
They are St Vincent-born Lornette “Fya Empress” Nedd-Reid, who was disqualified from the final by TUCO due to her nationality and Brian London, who claimed he narrowly missed out on a place in the final after four points were unfairly deducted from his semi-final score.
Both are being represented by attorney Keith Scotland, who yesterday issued pre-action protocol letters to TUCO president Lutalo Masimba, demanding that his clients be placed in the final. Scotland asked that TUCO respond to his letters by noon today, before he files an injunction.
The move came hours after first reserve contestant Lynette “Lady Gypsy” Steele managed to book her place in the final after threatening to sue TUCO over its decision to allow Nedd-Reid to participate in the contest although she is a foreign citizen.
Central to London’s claim is a new rule introduced for this year’s semi final, which reduced the time allotted for each performer from 11 minutes to nine. Scotland said London and the other semi-finalists were asked to sign an agreement which incorporated the new rule a day before the event. However, he said London was among a group of veteran performers who protested against the move, as they claimed it was done without consultation.
“Be that as it may, because the situation was time sensitive, as it was just mere hours away from the semi-final competition, the client ultimately, with great demur, signed the agreement, as failure on his part to do same would have resulted in him being unable to perform at the competition,” Scotland said.
On the day of the event, London spoke to two TUCO officials, including a member of its adjudication committee, who assured him the rule would not apply again.
“Based on this representation, our client adjusted his presentation from nine minutes back to its original 11-minute format,” Scotland said.
London eventually placed 17th, narrowly missing out on the 15-member final.
But Scotland claimed London was then penalised four points for exceeding the time limit.
“We respectfully submit that had the client been judged without the penalty for the time limit, the client would have ultimately tied for the 15th position, with two other contestants, namely Anthony Hendrickson (All Rounder) and Steele,” Scotland said.
Scotland said by applying TUCO’s tie-breaker rule, London may have placed higher than Steele, making him the first reserve in the competition, who should have benefited from Nedd-Reid’s disqualification.
Yesterday, Steele’s attorney, Gerald Ramdeen, received a letter from TUCO’s lawyer Marlon Moore, placing Steele as a finalist in the Dimanche Gras show. Steele placed 16th in last Saturday’s semi-finals with her rendition Plight of My People.
This move came after Ramdeen sent a pre-action protocol letter to TUCO on Tuesday, alerting them that Nedd-Reid was not a T&T citizen, which was contrary to TUCO’s rule for the competition.
But Scotland yesterday condemned TUCO’s decision to disqualify Nedd-Reid.
“We contend that by virtue of our client’s long, undisturbed and frequent participation within your organisation, our client now has a legitimate expectation to participate in the National Calypso Monarch Competition 2017. We also wish to direct your attention to the fact that one cannot use the Adjudication Handbook 2017 to determine any issues to this matter, as our client is not a new member but a long-standing member,” Scotland wrote.
Scotland outlined that Nedd-Reid, who had participated in other competitions governed by TUCO, married and applied for permanent T&T residency in 2004.
In 2007, 2009 and 2010, Nedd-Reid won the Tobago Soca Monarch, while in 2012 she captured the National Calypso Queen title and became the Tobago Calypso Monarch in 2014.
From the outset, Scotland said Nedd-Reid was never advised of a requirement that she must be a T&T national to belong to TUCO or to participate in its competitions.
Nedd-Reid, 37, said Moore’s letter came as a big shock.
“TUCO told me yesterday to disregard the disqualification. I honestly thought I was still in the competition. Now this news has shattered me. This is killing me ... breaking me down,” an outraged Nedd-Reid told the T&T Guardian of the decision.
“To say that they now find out about my nationality is crap. TUCO has to be blamed for this. All I am looking for is answers. These people are behaving as if I hid my identity for all these years. How could they? Everyone know I from St Vincent...it was no hidden secret.”
St Vincent’s Culture Minister Cecil McKie also described TUCO’s decision as terrible, noting that the decision came despite his compatriot’s long string of win and competing in TUCO competitions over the years.
But Lady Gypsy said Nedd-Reid deserved to be disqualified “because I can’t go in she country and do that. I would need a work permit.”
She maintained she was denied a spot in the final by TUCO due to political interference and victimisation.