PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad – Four-time Power Soca Monarch winner Ian Bunji Garlin Alvarez has accused fellow soca artiste Machel Montano of “playing politics” in his bid to win last night’s TT$2 million bMobile Power Soca Monarch grand prize.
Montano, who has never won the Soca Monarch competition, has been picked to walk away with the prize this year by Attorney General Anand Ramlogan. Not easily fooled Asked to comment on this, Alvarez, who won the Soca Monarch title in 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2008, told the Express on Thursday the Soca Monarch crowd is not one that can be easily fooled.
“No matter who put whatever in place, if anybody put things in place from before, on the night the crowd knows who they want as their winner, and they would not accept anything less,” Alvarez said.
Alvarez, in his performances in various soca fetes over the past week, has been using his freestyle flow of singing to address the perceived political ploy being used by Montano. A YouTube video entitled Bunji Garlin Spits Fire At Mr HD At Army Fete 2011 is currently being circulated on social networking sites.
In response, Montano, in a telephone interview on Thursday night, said he was elated about the endorsement by the Attorney General and appreciates being appreciated for honouring the Calypso King Mighty Sparrow, and Calypso Queen Rose on Monday night, during his concert.
Asked whether he does not consider it to be a political endorsement, he said he saw it as “one from a man who saw his work and decided to salute it”.
“It’s not politically motivated as some have suggested because if a PNM [People’s National Movement] senator or even a common man endorses him in that way, what would they call that? In any case, the Government does not judge these competitions.” (Trinidad Express)
