By EARLEY BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis has sought to distance himself from the escalating Junkanoo dispute, insisting “don’t bring me into it” as the government scrambles to finalise parade plans just weeks before the season begins.

Mr Davis, who met with JCNP chairman Dion Miller last Friday, said he is leaving the matter to the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and the National Junkanoo Committee (NJC).

“I’m not involved in that at all because they accuse the matter of being political, and so don't bring me into it. I've directed the Minister of Youth and Sports and the NJC, they are dealing with it, and I'm leaving it to them,” he said yesterday.

Mr Davis’s comments are unlikely to convince critics, who believe the government is sidelining the JCNP because the body took a position unfavourable to his brother, Trevor Davis, amid the dispute about which group has the rightful claim to being the Valley Boys.

His comments came as JCNP officials met Wednesday night to discuss the prime minister’s meeting and determine a way forward. JCNP public relations officer John Williams said the prime minister expressed a desire to see the dispute resolved but offered no direct intervention.

“It’s very late,” Mr Williams said. “It’s November, essentially, and we had to come up with a plan and a course of action. It’s action time. So we just have to do what we have to do. But as I said, we are just finalising some stuff.”

He said member groups were dissatisfied with the outcome of the prime minister’s meeting, adding that fatigue over the prolonged feud has set in. “I think everybody is just tired at this point. Just tired of the back and forth and going through all of this. We've never been through this sort of thing before,” he said.

Ten major groups — including One Family, Saxons, Roots, The Valley Boys, The Mighty Eagles, Redland Soldiers, The Original Congos, Nassau Independent Junkanoo Association and The Bahamas Independent Junkanoo Association — have expressed their support for the JCNP.

Roots chairman Duane Ellis said yesterday that his group will only rush in a parade managed by the JCNP. “My frustration as a junkanooer is that by now, I thought both sides would come to some mutual agreement for the betterment of Junkanoo and not personalities,” he said.

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Perry Christie said he hopes the dispute will be resolved in time for Junkanoo to return to Bay Street in its usual form with all eligible groups participating. “It is always a regret when Junkanoo and culture are subjected to division because it’s the one area in the country which should unite people,” he said. “I'm hopeful, therefore, that the minister and all that he's doing will be successful in ensuring that Junkanoo reigns supreme.”