By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

TENSIONS between the National Junkanoo Committee (NJC) and the World Famous Valley Boys escalated over the weekend after a Supreme Court judge ordered the NJC to refer to the group as the Valley Boys, with the NJC calling the group’s legal action “deeply disappointing.”

The interim court order by Justice Leif Farquharson, which also directed the Registrar General to immediately restore the group’s registration as a nonprofit organisation, was one of several findings reportedly favouring the junkanoo group, led by Brian Adderley.

He further ordered the Department of Inland Revenue to reinstate their business licence and tax identification number once all statutory requirements are met, according to a statement by the World Famous Valley Boys. The written ruling has not been publicly released yet, but the decision followed an emergency application filed by the group, primarily challenging the NJC’s refusal to recognise them by their full name.

The matter gained attention late last month after the NJC referred to the group as the “World Famous 1958” in a post revealing the parade order, sparking backlash.

The group said the decision demonstrated nepotism, undermined trust, and left its members vulnerable to potential victimisation.

After issuing a cease-and-desist letter that reportedly went unanswered, the group escalated the matter to court, filing an emergency application addressing the naming dispute and other issues.

In a statement over the weekend, the NJC claimed the group’s legal action did not reflect the agreements reached with the government, calling it “a troubling departure” from the good-faith understanding between the parties.

The committee also rejected claims of favoritism, insisting no sides were taken and that every action was guided by the need to protect Junkanoo.

The NJC said it clearly communicated from the outset that the group would not be recognised as the World Famous “Valley Boys” unless specific conditions were met.

It said the group was informed their parade application would be approved conditionally, with the understanding—confirmed in meetings with an executive—that the group would be recognized as World Famous 1958 unless they provided the required documentation to claim the Valley Boys name.

However, the NJC added that, to date, neither the ministry nor the committee has received supporting documentation needed to substantiate the application.

Despite this, the NJC said the junkanoo group was still allowed to compete and given seed funding despite “having missed the original registration deadline.”

“At no time did this accommodation constitute validation or endorsement of any claim to the Valley Boys name,” the statement read. “To date, the Ministry and the NJC have not received the supporting documentation required to substantiate the group’s application under the name World Famous Valley Boys.”

“While the matter was actively before the courts, the Ministry and the NJC acted responsibly and advised that the group would not be referred to as Valley Boys, so as not to prejudice the legal process.”

The NJC called the group’s decision to proceed to court as “deeply disappointing,” saying it did not accurately reflect the conditional nature of its registration or the agreements reached with the Government following earlier discussions.

It’s unclear whether the Way Forward Valley Boys faction has met the NJC’s conditions needed to be referred to as the Valley Boys. In a recent court ruling, the Court of Appeal suggested the Registrar General allowed the Way Forward to “highjack” the Valley Boys name.

The World Famous Valley Boys thanked the Supreme Court for its ruling in a statement, saying they look forward to delivering a vibrant performance at the upcoming parades.