THE EDITOR: The Newsday headline in red said it all: "Tobago Carnival - October 28 to 30." And with that an air of excitement - otherwise described by the eternal pessimist of TV6's Morning Edition as "obsessed with Carnival" - must have certainly swept across the nation.

I was just there and I can tell you that Tobago is booking fast. It shows the wisdom of the Chief Secretary and his members that the Carnival will be over a weekend and will not disrupt business.

I was pleased to see, at last, that there is someone in charge of Tobago and that person has the courage of a defiant nature to not ask Trinidad's permission, but instead to let it be known what he was doing for the people.

A second installment of Carnival in Tobago alongside the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean is a golden goose. It will add another spectacular event to our calendar and will bring in visitors from far and wide, since around October is when the North starts to go into a chill. Right, Lorraine?

None of the other islands can rival our Carnival product, particularly the cultural heritage component. What that will mean is that hotels will be booked from Easter right through. It comes opportunely just after Divali and so the majority of the Hindu nation should be available. They will need food, fruit and services. I hope to see truckloads of pineapple, watermelon, paw paw and cantaloupe going over to feed the people, like it used to be.

Already the boats going across on the weekend were full to capacity and restaurant, casino and bar businesses along Crown Point were all-night over the weekend, comparable to St Lawrence Gap in Bridgetown. So we ready...we ready for the road.

I just hope that the National Carnival Commission will not seek to sour the taste of Tobago Carnival by imposing itself with stupifying nonsense like pods. I hope TUCO will not fret over prize money. and I also hope Pan Trinbago will keep its election bacchanal in Trinidad.

Tobago is ready: the hospitals in Signal Hill and Roxborough are working, the police now have a boat and have issued a warning to criminals and other miscreants. And the hotels are showing their confidence in the PDP-led THA.

We have to forget Trinidad, as it is being driven on four flat tyres, and put our hope in the Tobago vessel, if we are to catch up with Barbados and Guyana.

LINDA CAPILDEO

St James

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