Junior Monarch incident sparks controversy

TThe National Cultural Foundation (NCF) has responded to the controversy surrounding an incident during the competition break involving Junior Monarch contestant Trinity Clarke.

Famous singer Kareen Clarke, Trinity’s mother, claimed in a Facebook In one post, she wrote that her daughter was “assaulted” by a member of the security team at the venue. She claimed Trinity was “unjustly” penalized, resulting in a lower placing, and said they had hired legal counsel to request a review of competition points.

NCF Executive Director Carol Roberts talks about the Voice of Barbados Radio, attempted to clarify the timing and implications of the alleged incident.

“Given the timing of the incident allegedly occurring, during the interval, it is impossible that the eventual outcome could have been influenced by an incident outside the performance area,” Roberts said. She stressed that all of the calypso contestants performed before the interval, making it impossible for the judges to take the incident into account in their scoring.

She insisted that Clarke’s final placement would remain unchanged. “One has nothing to do with the other,” she said. “Why should it? Her status is essentially unchanged. And as far as the foundation is concerned, nothing changes at all.”

Roberts dismissed the suggestion that Clarke’s final stance had been influenced by the incident, saying it was “a regrettable statement” and “an exaggeration of one person’s immense imagination.”

Roberts had originally intended to handle the matter privately, but the mounting comments made her feel compelled to address it publicly. “After seeing the subsequent posts and hearing some of the comments, I feel compelled on behalf of the foundation as CEO, but also on behalf of a service provider we would have engaged and the management of a facility we would have rented, to go a little further. And to say publicly that from the time I heard about this incident, I would have requested a report from the music officer involved, who in turn would have requested a report from one of the key witnesses to what happened and the security officer responsible. I received both of those reports before 10am this morning. It was my intention to handle this matter away from the media spotlight. But I have to do it now because we have been put in that spotlight.”

She explained that the accounts of witnesses and the security officer presented a different version of events than the one circulating on social media.

“It is alleged that both Kareen Clarke and Trinity attempted to enter a restricted area and were advised not to do so by the security officer. Trinity ignored the request or instruction and attempted to enter the area where she was detained by the security officer,” Roberts said.

According to these reports, Trinity became “hysterical and aggressive,” which required the intervention of an eyewitness and police. The police officer reportedly mediated a resolution in which both parties admitted their actions and apologized to each other.

Roberts expressed surprise at the different reports Kareen Clarke presented on social media. “What you would have heard from Ms. Clarke is very different in some very important ways, and what would have been posted on social media in the past is very different in some very important ways from the reports the foundation has received.”

Regarding potential legal challenges, Roberts stressed the importance of retaining an attorney. “My position on legal matters is that’s why they’re attorneys. And that’s why you follow the direction, advice and recommendation of the attorney you retained, recruited or engaged to represent you.”

The NCF CEO confirmed that Trinity Clarke’s status as a candidate in the Pic-O-De-Crop The competition remains unchanged. She added: “We as adults, whether in this festival school system or wherever, have to be extremely careful about what we teach, instill or inculcate in our young people. (In) the same way that we educate, encourage, prepare, prepare all other young people to aim for victory, we should also, for the same reason, be responsible enough to teach them from the beginning to accept results and outcomes and, you know, to get over disappointments.”