Viral posts draw out school’s panorama officials

Chairperson of the National Junior Panorama Competition used social media over the weekend to get the attention of authorities whose delayed assistance and communication were affecting preparations.
Petra Williams, first-time chairperson of schools’ panorama, expressed frustration on Facebook over the limited resources, including manpower and stage amenities, made available to her team in the days leading up to the competition at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium.
Her reason as stated in a public post was, “I used the medium that I presume would touch all the right people plus extra who were not taking calls, not available in person, AND guess what, within one minute after the video was done, persons who were out of touch started calling and explanations started.”
The series of videos and posts drew out, Maurice Merchant, outgoing Festivals Commission Chair, who said, “some hysteria” was created by an “upstart,” accusing Williams of “obviously seeking attention.”
However, Merchant admitted that there were “hiccups” over the weekend, but as of Sunday evening, “everything was in place for a smooth-flowing and exciting panorama.”
Williams revealed that preparations for the annual competition were 24 hours behind, and emphasised that this was not due to Sunday’s relief concert for the hurricane-ravaged islands.
She then criticised the Festivals Commission for not securing sponsorship for such a major national event, which many pan enthusiasts attend yearly.
(More in today’s Daily Observer)