By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

YOUTH, Sports and Culture Minister Mario Bowleg has announced a full audit of the Junkanoo Corporation of New Providence (JCNP) and ruled out approving any private parades the group plans to hold, as the row over who should manage the national Boxing Day and New Year’s Day parades intensifies.

Mr Bowleg, without providing evidence, said the government’s audit follows troubling discoveries about the JCNP’s financial management and claims of losses following its removal as parade organiser. “Once the audit is completed, I think the public will be very surprised of what may come out of that,” he said, insisting the review is essential to ensuring transparency and accountability in the use of public funds.

The minister said only two national parades will take place in New Providence — those held on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day under the newly established Parade Management Committee — and that no government-backed approval will be given to private events that compete with them. “There will be no parade that will be sponsored by the government of the Bahamas, that will be private, unless it’s a national parade,” he said. “In New Providence, there will be one parade, and that’s in Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, which are national parades. And there will be no other parades that will compete with those parades. I expect all groups to participate.”

His remarks came after the JCNP, which has overseen the nation’s premier parades for decades, warned it may stage its own events in protest. The organisation has claimed the government’s decision to transfer management to the National Junkanoo Committee (NJC) will cost it nearly $1m, including unpaid sponsorships from ALIV and Commonwealth Brewery and $57,000 recently spent upgrading its scoring system. JCNP Chairman Dion Miller also dismissed the ministry’s poll that underpinned the decision, calling it “manifestly unfair and unrepresentative” and claiming major groups like One Family and Roots were excluded.

Although the most iconic Junkanoo groups support the JCNP, Mr Bowleg defended the government’s move to change management of the parade, saying it was the result of a vote by Junkanoo groups themselves on September 27, with 19 voting in favour of the NJC taking charge and only two — One Family and Roots — absent due to late notice. “The government would have never been in here to ask the NJC to manage this parade had the groups decided they wanted to take JCNP to manage the parade,” he said. He added that even if the two absent groups had participated, the outcome would not have changed.

The minister also questioned the JCNP’s compliance record, saying the corporation had failed to maintain an active business licence for years. The JCNP has released proof of a licence granted on October 6, 2025, valid until December, but declined to show evidence of licences from prior years, saying those were irrelevant.

While the governance fight escalates, the government has rolled out a broader festival approach around the parades. The NJC will oversee Boxing Day and New Year’s Day across The Bahamas and, in New Providence, implement an expanded cultural programme. The newly formed Parade Management Committee — chaired by veteran Junkanooer Douglas Hanna — is tasked with planning and execution for the 2025 Boxing Day and 2026 New Year’s Day parades, with a mandate that centres on safety, logistics and coordination, including scheduling, participant responsibilities, crowd control, emergency services, street closures, traffic management and the timely removal of parade elements. Mr Hanna said his initial hesitation changed after reading the draft Junkanoo Authority Bill, which he believes presents an opportunity to improve parade organisation.

Subcommittee Chairman Antony Bostwick outlined plans to stretch Junkanoo from a two-day spectacle into a two-week festival, running from December 18 to January 1, in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, the Tourism Development Corporation, Downtown businesses, cruise ship partners and religious groups. “We want to move from Junkanoo events, and as I said earlier, to have Junkanoo festivals,” Mr Bostwick said. “Junkanoo should be on Bay Street, not just two days.” He said the aim is to make Junkanoo a year-round cultural and economic driver, including food vendors, tourism incubators, cultural showcases and family-friendly events.

Mr Bowleg said the government remains committed to ensuring a successful national parade this year, promising confirmed corporate sponsors, national television coverage and a ticket system that gives more access to the public. “Every major sponsor will be a part of these parades,” he said, naming ALIV and Kalik among confirmed partners. “Now, unless they selling me dreams, I expect for all of them to be on the parade.”

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Michael Pintard has accused the Davis administration of playing politics with Junkanoo, warning that it is too late in the season to overhaul the parade’s management structure. He urged the government to delay any major changes until after the holidays and to hold a national Junkanoo conclave in January to address deeper issues dividing the community. Mr Pintard said the government’s process was politically heavy-handed and unrepresentative, arguing that the ministry should “step back and listen” to Junkanooers rather than dictate from above.

Mr Bowleg dismissed the criticism, saying Mr Pintard was “looking for love in the wrong places” and trying to score political points. “The opposition leader’s looking for votes. That’s what he’s doing. He’s making this political. This is not political,” he said. He also argued the JCNP must repair its relationship with the groups if it hopes to return to a leadership role in future, saying the government will respect practitioners’ wishes if they later choose to revert.