Dane Gulston - External Relations Officer of Pan Trinbago has resigned

 

Breaking News

To: All Member Bands of Pan Trinbago
Members of the National Community
Date: November 5, 2021
Subject: End of “TERM OF OFFICE”


I am writing to officially announce that my term of office as the constitutionally elected External Relations Officer of Pan Trinbago has ended effective October 27, 2021. When I was elected as the External Relations Officer Pan Trinbago, it was for the term October 28, 2018 – October 27, 2021. The election for that term was in compliance with the constitution of the organisation, and it was expected that all executive members elected at that time would either seek re-election in 2021, or leave office on time as required by the constitution.


It is my understanding that the outgoing President Beverly Ramsey Moore and six members of the outgoing executive have gone rogue and refused to leave office. This follows an earlier announcement by the Secretary Denise Hernandez dated September 20, 2021 that the executive agreed that the constitutionally due elections is being postponed until further notice, and that their term in office will be extended indefinitely because of the presence of Covid-19.


That decision and action is in clear violation of Pan Trinbago’s Constitution, and is a blatant disregard to the tenets of democracy and responsible governance. My decision to honour and respect the constitution and to leave office as mandated is what I expected from the executive team that was elected with me. As such, I no longer recognize Pan Trinbago as having a legitimate Central Executive Team, and view them as not being bona fide officers.


I loved serving my fraternity. It was my hope that over the last three years, the elected executive team would have been able to bring the work flow processes into the twenty-first century. One of the ways this could have been done was to enhance and develop our skills to a level where hosting an election on a digital platform could have been a reality. To declare that an election cannot be hosted in this environment is untrue.


Yes, it may be true that some members may not be computer savvy, but that is not an acceptable reason for postponing an election, as each orchestra has two official delegates to represent their band at meetings. Those members who are active and concerned about the leadership body would have been able to have healthy and productive discussions via zoom meetings and whats app discussions. The pandemic cannot be used as an excuse for not going to our members and asking them if we served them well, and can we do it again.

It is noted that elections for a number of organizations have been held throughout the pandemic. It is unconscionable and a total disrespect to all members to be told by the former President Beverley Ramsey Moore that most members are over the age of sixty and therefore are somewhat illiterate and incapable of functioning in a modern technological or ZOOM environment. Most, if not all member bands of Pan Trinbago have youthful members who are quite capable of quickly adapting to any level of technology. We could have easily guided bands to prepare for a virtual meeting to conduct the elections, similar to what have been taking place in many organisations throughout this pandemic.


At meetings I attended during my term in office, we did not make a solid effort to bring solutions and resolutions to the challenges facing our organisation. Most of our time was spent with the former President promoting and feeding a division between members of the executive. Her style of divide and rule led to Mr Gerard Mendez, Mr. Carlon Harewood and myself being ostracized for speaking up and presenting constructive views that she opposed.


Her actions brought harm to the reputation that I have earned over the years, and my decision to distance myself is intended to restore credibility to my image and expose the ills of that past administration. The pan fraternity has suffered because of this, and I will not be part of any illegal or illegitimate group that seeks to remain in office at all cost.


I was honoured to serve the fraternity that has supported not only the performer I am today, but also the man I have become. I am thankful to those who voted for me in 2018 – I made my own mistakes but your well-being was always part of my decision. You trusted me to represent you. You allowed me to be your voice. I felt grateful that you allowed me to give my time and energy to make the fraternity a more desirable topic in the conversations of others. I did what I could with the resources and leadership that was available to me.


I have come to the conclusion that there is always work to be done to raise the credibility and the productivity of our fraternity and I will find a way to do so.


Yours,
Dane Gulston


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Comments

  1. Dane, you did the honourable thing unlike the rogue gang of seven.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dane that was the tight thing to do. You are a true connoisseur of pan music. The just want to stay position. Thank you for all you do for our culture.

    ReplyDelete

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