Just two weeks after half of the competitors in this year’s Soca Monarch competition took to the airwaves of Freedom Fm to voice their discontent with the chair of the National Carnival Committee (NCC), it is clear that more issues to do with the staging of this year’s soca finals are posing a real threat as the soca artistes continue to ventilate on qualifying rules and criteria.The situation has gotten so bad that one of St. Kitts and Nevis’ popular radio personalities and current soca power monarch, the King Sugarbowl wants Noah Mills to be removed as chairman of the NCC.
Leslie Morton, the King Sugarbowl was complaining Monday morning on his radio show about the ongoing and persistent raging discontent with the chairman. Shortly after 10AM he said there’s so much confusion caused by Mills that he should be removed as carnival chair. Bowl was adamant that 60-70 percent of soca monarch competitors have serious issues with the chairman and his committee, half of which are Nevisians. Bowl speaking to Freedom Fm on Tuesday morning took NCC Chairman to task for changing the rules/regulations of the soca monarchy at will and as it suits his interests. For weeks artists and organizers of carnival events have been publicly informing the nation that Noah Mills appears utterly indifferent and unresponsive to their concerns and positions.
Sugar Bowl also disclosed that during a tense meeting on Friday at Netball City, the artists challenged the committee’s decision to disqualify Rucas. The artists in attendance at the meeting that was partially held in the dark, agreed they were not informed of the new rules prior to the committee accepting submissions for the annual competition. He said the chairman was less than forthright about the decision to allow Eazi of Nevis to perform his song “side dish” which won the groovy title during the recent Culturama. However, when confronted with the evidence from a what’sapp group chat with the artists, he asked for a compromise, but still disallowed Rucas.
Over the weekend another radio personality and Soca artist DJ Rucas withdrew from the semi finals of the soca monarch because of a change in the participation/qualifying rules. He said there’s a new rule put in place by the Mills NCC that songs performed during Nevis Culturama in late July, cannot be used in the National Soca Monarch competition on St. Kitts. Chairman Mills however was willing to allow artistes from Nevis who sang at the Culturama Soca competition in July-August to sing the same songs in the National Carnival soca competition. Mills is willing to bend the rules governing the soca competition to achieve his overall objectives.
Freedom Fm also spoke to NCC Chairman Noah Mills, who indicated that the soca semis will be held on Friday and that the draw for appearance will be held later today. When asked about the qualifying criteria and the continued impasse with the artistes Mills said he would need to refer to the constitution before responding. He assured he would respond at a later date.