"When we came in
(to office) in May we looked at it and in studying it we
realised that the only thing that had been done was the
establishment of a multi-ministerial grouping but they were
limited by the fact that they were not given a complete
scope of work or terms of reference from the former
government."
Maynard said after the government realised it was unable to
host the conference, it requested a venue shift when
Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government held
high-level talks in Barbados last week with Canadian Prime
Minister, Stephen Harper.
He said the Bahamas will host the event in 2012."We now
have an opportunity in 2012 to do it properly, to properly
put in the infrastructure that is necessary. We have to make
some permanent changes to Arawak Cay, which we have already
promised in our manifesto. We have to make some permanent
and much-needed changes to the Centre for the Performance
Arts," he said.
"We have now a period of four years to get the necessary
funds from the budget to make these necessary changes so
that we can host a proper festival that we would want to do
as Bahamians."
CARIFESTA, which began in Guyana in 1970, has attracted more
than 30 Caribbean and Latin American countries.
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