Activities usually held on Independence Day may be a factor for deciding on the time for the parade.
Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves said on October 11 that he had received a request from the Parade Commander Benzil Samuel for a change in the start from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
And according to Gonsalves, the Madungo Festival was usually a well-supported activity held on Independence Day.
He further said that he had spoken to Montgomery Daniel, Parliamentary Representative and Deputy Prime Minister on the issue, and he responded that people would be able to balance between the Madungo Festival and the parade.
And that if it was a national issue, such as Independence Day, then activities like the Madungo Festival, among others would have to ‘fit in’.
The suggestion was made that the parade can perhaps have an earlier starting time – the suggested start time was 6:30.
And this was to facilitate members of the public being able to attend the parade and then be able to attend whatever activities they may have planned.
Prime Minster Dr Ralph Gonsalves said that he was still undecided on the time for the start of this year’s Independence Day parade.
He said on radio on Sunday that he had requested a check to see the time that other Caribbean countries were using.
“Some are doing it in the morning from what I know, but I want to get the details,” Gonsalves said.
He however noted that when he visited the Seychelles in 2019, their Independence Day parade started at 6 p.m.
But he said that he wanted the public to give him an idea for an appropriate time to begin.
Samuel in his request cited the heat as a reason for the suggested change.
And according to the prime minister, usually when the parade is held at 8 a.m. people who were participating in the parade and coming from far would usually get up at 5 a.m. or earlier.
“Part of the problem sometimes is that they don’t eat much before they leave home, so there are a number of factors,” he said.
“So we will see.”
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