The carnival surrounding carnival

Like the Flying Dutchman, Panama’s annual carnival seems destined to wander eternally looking for salvation.
Wanted by almost no one, the annual spectacle is described by some as a noise and booze fest, and within nine months of its closing there is a jump in th birth rate, in spite of the free distribution of thousands of condoms.
With only a couple of weeks to go no final decision on its location has been made, and the back room discussions around it are turning it into a farce almost equal to Mayor Bosco’s “world record” Christmas fair, which cost the government thousands of dollars to fix damaged grass, shrubbery and property, and led to petitions from local citizens, demanding the end of noise gatherings on the Cinta Costera.
Their voices were heard above the hullabaloo, and the government said “no more”.
The Coastal Strip was the first site put forward as a venue for this year’s carnival by none other than the noise loving mayor. That got the government thumbs down.
Transistmica was ruled out after screams of protest from Betania residents who last year went to court to try to block its appearance in the area.
Next on the list was Ancon, where it got a quick cold shoulder. Meanwhile President Ricardo Martinelli said not a cent would go from the government to support the event.
It seemed to be dead until some private individuals popped up and announced a site in a stadium.
Then others got into the act and an announcement was made that the venue would be Via Espana. Residents rushed to the radio and TV stations and their local representative to complain.
On Wednesday the Representative for Calidonia Ramon Ashby stepped into the breach and “asked for” it to be located there.
He told La Prensa.that Calidonia "is the best place, since it has wide avenues and streets, away from the so-called ‘red zones’
He said he had approached Carnival Board, but has not had the opportunity to present a formal proposal to the Panama Tourism Authority (ATP), headed by Salomón Shamah who says the government doesn’t recognize the Carnival Board. “there is no such Board” he said.
According to the proposal, the Carnival location would begin at 34th Street, along Ave. Cuba and Justo Arosemena, with festivities culminating at Plaza 5 de Mayo.
Shamah, who was appointed by the Cabinet Council to establish the final location of the Carnival, said that officials would make the final announcement on Feb. 1, 2010.
Since the State was not providing funds, it "failed to install a board of Carnival, and what there is, is a private initiative.”

For this reason he said, the $200,000 approved by the Cabinet Council and administered by the ATP is exclusively for the recruitment of national musicians, rental of pallets and sound equipment, and, if necessary, for the rental of some tank trucks
Shamah said the musicians and musical groups will be chosen from next Monday, in conjunction with the National Association of Musicians (Amun), but said that hiring should be at "reasonable prices because we do not pay exorbitant fees."

He said that all recruitments will be posted on the website PanamaCompra. And "All players will receive a check endorsed by the comptroller

But no one wants it in their back yard, perhaps not even the residents of Calidonia.

President Martinelli has called for a review of funds managed by former Boards of Carnival and Shamah believes it should include not only expenditures but also“the chain of hiring musicians.”

A former carnival president Mingthoy Giro said she is not afraid of an audit.

Much of it sounds like a Bosco Canivaleasque, and still no one, except one representative, wants it in their back yard.