Couva Joylanders decry NGC steelband sponsorship cuts

These youths from Couva Joylanders steelpan orchestra perform on the weekend during the launch of Couva Carnival 2026. FILE PHOTO COURTESY COUVA CARNIVAL COMMITTEE

COUVA Joylanders Steel Orchestra has fired back at the National Gas Company (NGC) after the state-owned energy company withdrew corporate funding from youth-centred, sporting, and cultural events and organisations, including local steelbands.

The orchestra has directly challenged NGC chairman Gerald Ramdeen’s comments that the company is “not here to be a Ministry of Culture or Sport” and “is not a charity,” as reported by Newsday on December 27.

“By saying ‘NGC is not a charity,’ Mr Ramdeen reduces CSR (corporate social responsibility) to mere financial prudence. But CSR is about balancing profit with social good.

"Supporting culture doesn’t mean fiscal indiscipline. Responsible sponsorship can coexist with financial accountability,” the Joylanders wrote in a Facebook post.

The orchestra highlighted steelpan’s wider impact, noting that panyards serve as “safe spaces, classrooms, and hubs of discipline and creativity,” while sponsorship sustains local tailors, transport providers, food vendors, and artisans.

“At a time when steelpan is gaining international acclaim, withdrawing support risks slowing momentum and diminishing cultural tourism potential.”

The band also accused Ramdeen of disconnect, saying, "Respectfully, sir, your framing makes NGC sound detached from the communities it serves. A state enterprise should reflect national priorities, not just shareholder returns."

Ramdeen defended the cuts in comments to Newsday, citing $1.6 billion in profits that masked $1 billion in losses under previous management.

He said NGC would continue its CSR “in a prudent and frugal manner, with decisions guided by the best interests of the company and the country.”

Internal budget documents show that NGC’s 2025 corporate sustainability allocations were sharply reduced, affecting youth, education, and cultural programmes.

Steelband groups impacted include Couva Joylanders, La Brea Nightingales, and Tobago’s Steel Xplosion.

Termination letters cited contractual clauses allowing the company to “terminate for convenience,” a move Pan Trinbago president Beverly Ramsey-Moore called “a devastating blow.”

Opposition MP Stuart Young labelled the withdrawal “an assault on our culture,” stressing that panyards provide vital safe spaces in crime-affected communities.

Similar controversy arose earlier this year when Heritage Petroleum cut support for San Fernando’s Skiffle Bunch and Siparia Deltones.

The Joylanders stressed steelpan’s role as a unifying cultural force.

“This debate isn’t abstract,” it wrote. “It touches directly on the lifeblood of our orchestra and the wider steelpan family…Sponsorship here is about sustaining a legacy, empowering youth, and projecting TT’s identity to the world.”