Latest update April 18th, 2024 12:59 AM
Oct 30, 2012 Letters
DEAR EDITOR,
With reference to the multitude of letters and articles written on the recent announcement by “Hits and Jams Entertainment” that in collaboration with another business Partner and the Government of Guyana they will be bringing R&B Superstar and Grammy Award-Winning Artiste Chris Brown to Guyana, I wish to add my voice to the argument in favour of this proposal.
I start with the assertion that “The Government should not grant the tax concession to Hits and Jams Entertainment”. While the basis for this postulation is unclear and hasn’t been argued with any merit or with any sense of impartiality, what is clear is that these writers are of the view that the Government should not be involved in the bringing of the artiste.
The Tourism industry in any country is very important to the economy. In Guyana each year, the tourism industry is boosted mainly by event-based tourism. Moreover, event-based tourism is seen as a legitimate form of economic development, earning substantial revenue for the tourism industry as a whole.
Events are an important motivator of tourism, and figure prominently in the development and marketing plans of most destinations. The roles and impacts of planned events within tourism have been well documented, and are of increasing importance for destination competitiveness. Hits and Jams Entertainment, which has been in existence for more than a decade, is by far the largest and most commercially successful entertainment house in Guyana. That is not disputable. More people know Guyana because of their annual ‘Jamzone Summer Break’ than for most other reasons combined.
In Trinidad and Tobago, whose economy is admittedly better than ours, the Government of that country was one of the main sponsors of the Beyonce Concert in February 2012. Of note is the fact that Beyonce’s performance fee and travel is estimated to be more than ‘three times’ the cost than that of Chris Brown’s (in excess of 1 Million USD).
In Barbados, where Pop Superstar Rihanna performed in August of 2011, the Government of that country also doled out millions of dollars to bring the native songstress there (again, in excess of 1 Million USD), even though the concert had been rumoured to be free.
In Jamaica, the Government there doled out millions of dollars to help Reggae Sunsplash to be as successful as it is today.
To promote Jamaica as a tourist and travelling destination, the Jamaica Tourist Board invited in 1983 the German band Supermax as opening act of the annual festival in Montego Bay. They have supported every other large Concert in the country since; and the list goes on and on…
In Guyana, the Government has only indicated that it will waive certain taxes, and political pundits with their own biased agendas and petty politics jump on the bandwagon, arguing that somehow the Government’s support is an affront to the tax payer – when the Government is not footing the bill, but merely aiding by waiving taxes.
In all countries that aim to boost their tourism sectors – which play an important part in growing their economy, the Government always lends it support in a much more substantial way than the Government of Guyana plans to with Hits and Jams Entertainment and the Chris Brown concert. Others argue that it’s not fair to other promoters, but it is my contention that these persons are in denial – you don’t need a secondary school education to realize that Hits and Jams Entertainment takes the largest share of the market space in event-based tourism in Guyana. Further, when one considers the calibre of the artistes that they bring to our shores, coupled with the types of events and efficiency, as compared to other promoters, the Government of Guyana cannot be seen as being partial…and if they are, it has long passed the time.
The government has supported other concerts promoted by other groups and they have done the same thing – waive taxes. Where were these commentators and critics then? I submit that this is nothing short of a personal vendetta against Hits and Jams Entertainment.
Since the election period and Hits and Jams Entertainment’s “perceived” support of the PPP Government, those that are anti-Government have said anything negative that they could and tried to derail Hits and Jams at every corner.
To think that even though no one from Hits and Jams Entertainment, as far as I am aware, has ever come forward with a public endorsement of the government or any other political party, they would be chastised for the strip at the bottom of a screen that the PPP “paid for”, that said (Vote PPP), and was available to any other political party, is indicative of the small-mindedness of a number of politicians and political pundits in Guyana.
Governments across the region, doing better than or worse off than Guyana, throw their financial support behind their main event-based tourism promoters, yet it is that in Guyana, with all that is going on, people take time off to criticize the Government for attempting to aid an industry in great need of nurturing.
How this can be perceived as negative or an attempt to distract is beyond me.
If anyone is of the view that an event that lasts for a few hours in a day has the ability to distract anyone from other “pressing” political issues affecting them ‘every day’ is easily debatable.
People should rally around Hits and Jams Entertainment and support them if for no other reason, for their achievement in an industry that was in dire need of saving – Government ‘help’ or not.
Neilson McKenzie (Jr.)
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