By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

WHAT was expected to be a routine press conference about dates for the coming Acklins regatta turned chaotic yesterday when members of the Acklins Trade and Development Association interrupted the event to criticise Minister V Alfred Gray’s decision on who will spearhead the regatta.

The dispute occurred at a press conference at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources’ headquarters on East Bay Street.

Moments before ATDA Chairman BJ Moss began to shout his disapproval of Mr Gray’s decision, the MICAL MP read his prepared statements then rushed out of the press conference without answering many questions from the press, saying he had a radio show appearance.

Amid concern that the regatta would be cancelled because of a dispute, Mr Gray revealed that the government would allocate its usual $35,000 to the festival, which is scheduled to take place between July 31 and August 3.

What proved controversial, however, was Mr Gray’s decision to recognise a group, headed by Dilworth Gibson, nephew of the late “King” Eric Gibson, as the official regatta committee rather than the committee established by the ATDA, which has spearheaded Acklins’ regattas for the past 37 years.

Mr Gibson was chosen by the ATDA to serve as commodore of the Acklins regatta last year. However, when the association declined to re-appoint him this year, citing past problems with his performance, he formed a new committee which has since fought the ATDA for the responsibility to host the event.

Negotiators attempted to get the two factions to reach a compromise by forming one committee. However, Mr Gibson’s group reportedly refused to join forces with the ATDA.

“…Several weeks ago, two committees presented to the ministry calling themselves the Acklins Regatta Committee,” Mr Gray said yesterday. “On Wednesday, June 10, 2015, I tried personally, by holding a meeting with Mr Enos Johnson and Mr Dilworth Gibson, to further encourage them to work together; this last effort did not meet with any more success than the efforts before.

“As minister with responsibility for regattas, I have made a decision for the good of the people in the Acklins community…That I will use the committee with whom I worked last year, headed by Mr Dilworth Gibson as commodore. It is my hope that Mr Gibson and Mr Johnson can still work together for the success of this regatta.”

Mr Johnson was selected this year as the ATDA’s choice for regatta commodore.

Members of the ATDA have accused Mr Gray of “meddling” and “playing politics” in the matter, claiming he wishes to appoint someone he believes to be a member of the PLP. Acklins regattas have always come under the portfolio of the ATDA, they say, noting that the minister doesn’t appoint committees to oversee regattas in other islands where precedent usually determines who oversees such events.

Mr Moss, the ATDA chairman, ran as the FNM candidate for Nassau Village constituency in 2012.

Nonetheless, as proof of his desire not to been seen as operating with political motivations, Mr Gray said he distanced himself from the matter by appointing his Permanent Secretary Rena Glinton and a regatta consultant Rev Dr Philip McPhee as negotiators responsible for leading the two sides to a resolution.

This was disputed by the ATDA, which insisted that throughout the controversy Mr Gray was the main point of contact for both parties.

When The Tribune asked Mrs Glinton for details on the nature of the dispute between the two factions, she replied: “I don’t know.”