By Leiselle Maraj Tuesday, September 1 2009

click on pic to zoom in

Sweet pan: Steelpan, the national instrument, is played by members of the Fire Service band. ...

« prev photo next photo »

Members of the public had mixed reviews about the staging of the 47th Independence Day parade through the streets of Port-of-Spain which began promptly at 8 am at Memorial Park, Port-of-Spain yesterday.

Members of various arms of the protective services marched and saluted President George Maxwell Richards where he stood in front of the National Carnival Commission stand located at the Queen’s Park Savannah obliquely opposite to Memorial Park.

According to the format for this year, the President did not inspect the parade as is customary but the parade began with the traditional 21-gun salute. Noticeably absent were members of the mounted branch and canine unit of the Police Service.

This is the third move for the annual parade after the decision was made to relocate the parade from the southern end of the savannah due to the construction of the National Carnival and Entertainment Centre at that location. In 2007, it was held at Queen’s Park Savannah North opposite the band stand at the President’s House while in 2008, it was a street parade and Richards was saluted at a point just outside of President’s House.

People came out in their numbers yesterday dressed in red, white and black clothes and lined both sides of the street near the Princes Building ground where the Academy of Performing Arts is being constructed. Although Chinese labourers were at work at the site, they took a break to view the parade over the fence of the site and even atop the incomplete building.

There was one minor incident which displeased the crowd when a police officer chose to answer his mobile phone during the gun salute when the national anthem was being played. The officer continued with his conversation despite an uproar from the crowd for him to end the conversation.

While the sight of hundreds of officers from the protective and auxiliary services marching in their ceremonial uniforms delighted the children, their parents and other adults noted the parade did not have as many officers and vehicles as usual.

“I thought that the parade was watered down. There were fewer people in each section and where were the officers on horses and with the dogs? People always come out to see those two sections in particular,” said Gerald Brown, a father of two young boys.

Sandra Ali, another spectator, said although the parade was smaller and shorter than on previous occasions, she was impressed with the vehicles on display. “The police and fire above everyone else had everyone excited. It was really an enjoyable show,” she said.

According to plans announced on August 17, the units in the parade were to assemble on Keate Street before heading east to Charlotte Street, around Memorial Park to turn to march in a westerly direction along the Queen’s Park Savannah.

The parade, however, began at Memorial Park and made its way on the roadway along the savannah.

The parade then turned south on to Chancery Lane, then east on Keate Street, south again on to Frederick Street up until Park Street where it turned west to Tragarete Road and headed to the Police Barracks in St James where it ended.