MEMBER of Parliament for Point Fortin Ernesto Kesar said Borough Day celebrations will be held and that it has the support of the Government, even after the mayor of Point Fortin and members of the Borough Council claimed insufficient funding by central government.
Launch of Point Fortin Borough Day festivities is expected to take place on Saturday.
In a video on social media on Monday, Kesar said he extended his hand to the mayor and the members of the council for them to work together to ensure the event’s success. “Central government, which I represent, fully supports the proper execution of Point Fortin Borough Day.”
In the past, the festival fell under the borough, but with Point Fortin Borough Day last year being declared a national festival, it was now under central government.
In a video posted to social media last week, Point Fortin Mayor Clyde James said that the festivities would take place but assistance was needed from Government agencies. He added that in its budget allocation for 2026, $75,000 was received under festivals, “and that cannot do anything for us.”
James said Heritage Petroleum was no longer sponsoring the event, and this had left the Borough Corporation in an approximate $300,000 debt, part of which still had to be paid off.
He said he had since written to various ministries about the hosting of the event but had gotten no response. “Our Government is not assisting us, our Member of Parliament is not assisting us. All we are getting is lip service and it’s time the people of Point Fortin know where we’re at,” James said.
Deputy Mayor Kwesi Thomas said while the calendar of events had already been printed, it had not been distributed because of the financial situation. “Without finances, we can’t carry on. We wrote the national agencies and to date, we haven’t received any confirmation—apart from Atlantic LNG who help sponsor Pan on the Move.”
In his post, Kesar said that he was open to collaboration and making sure, in the interest of Point Fortin, that all would be put in place to host a successful event.
He said now was not the time to fight a “budgetary war” , as this could have been done last year when the allocation was given.
Kesar said from a correspondence he received, a proposal was submitted in February of this year when it should have been placed in August 2025. “Unfortunately, the time that people would have applied for funding—it was short; but we going to do what we have to do,” he said.
He also spoke of the concern raised over an outstanding debt from last year’s festivities. He noted that while he was not around at the time, he has extended an offer to the mayor that they work together to deal with it, adding that should there be a challenge for money or payments, things would get done.
Kesar said there were some who did not want the festival to take place, and to then blame the Government. “Central government is in full support of Point Fortin Borough Day 2026; I spoke to the Minister of Culture and Community Development up to this (Sunday) morning and she will be making her statements before the week is out.”
He reiterated that the people of Point Fortin were the most important factor in the festivities, which would help them earn some income.
Kesar thanked the mayor and his team for their hard work and called for political differences to be put aside to stage the festival. “I offered my hand and it seems like they slapping away my hand. I will continue to offer my hand because my interest has always been the development of Point Fortin,” he said.
Kesar hoped that the calendar of events would be distributed, as he said that promoters have indicated that events have been sold out. “Pan on the Move is happening, there are a whole lot of people already booked and coming to Point Fortin. Borough Day is going to happen…Borough Day 2026—it eh no tricks, come down and get in the mix. It will be excellent,” Kesar said.
James yesterday declined to comment on Kesar’s online post.
The Express understands that the Minister of Rural Development and Local Government (Khadijah Ameen) is expected to meet with mayors, including James, and chairpersons of the 14 regional corporations today at the San Fernando City Corporation.
