Pan Trinbago President Beverley Ramsey-Moore is excited about President Christine Kangaloo’s call for legislation to formally recognize the steelpan as T&T national instrument.
It was one of five items highlighted the President said should be on the parliamentary agenda in her address at Monday’s ceremonial opening of the fourth session of the 12th Parliament. Ramsey-Moore, who described it as a bold step in the right direction, said: “I am really excited, pleased and very happy to know that she would have joined those who have been advocating for the steelpan to be formally declared the national musical instrument of Trinidad and Tobago.”
She said Pan Trinbago, through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, has been engaged in ongoing discussions over a draft bill on the matter.
“We sent the bill to our senior counsel and he would have sent back his comments. We sent it to our line minister and he would have looked at it and had discussions with his parliamentary counsel and I know in a conversation with him, one of the suggestion was having our President play a role in it and now that she declared her support, it will move on faster,” Ramsey-Moore said.
In 1992, the steelpan was declared the national instrument by the then Cabinet but it is yet to be given the official status.
Ramsey-Moore said if a bill declaring the steelpan as the national instrument receives Presidential assent during the new parliamentary session, it wuld be the catalyst for further growth and development of the industry.
In an interview with Guardian Media on Monday, Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, Randall Mitchell commented on the proposed legislative steps for the declaration of the steelpan as the country’s national instrument.
“One of the ways we have discussed is to have Government motions debated and approved in both Houses of Parliament whereby it can be declared that the steelpan is the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago. So the call is for the declaration to go through an official parliamentary process to have the steelpan declared as the national instrument,” he explained.
National instrument status will boost steelpan industry. (2023, September 13). Guardian.co.tt. https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/national-instrument-status-will-boost-steelpan-industry-6.2.1799359.9878a3e7f7
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