DID CONTONE'S AND PONG'S appearances at the Mount Gay/ Cable & Wireless Party Monarch Finals Sunday make a difference with the attendance?

Chairman of the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) Al Gilkes does not think so.

"There is a lot of public support for Pong and Contone, but I don't think that the numbers here would have been lessened by their non-appearance.

"It is different to last year when you had the majority of the popular people out, but once you have the likes of Li'l Rick, Peter Ram and Edwin up here, people would say that 'Contone and Pong should be on', but I don't think they would have stayed home like last year if they were not here," Gilkes said Sunday during the finals on Ermie Bourne Highway.

He continued: "Out of respect for them we [NCF] admire the fact they have the hearts of Barbadians. We have no control over the judging. I personally would have liked to see Contone on stage but I have no control over the judging.

"I said what I had to say last year and even the calypsonians put me down for what I had to say. So we [NCF] decided that despite the fact that they were not in the competition, they should be here because we anticipated a large crowd. They are the people's calypsonians right now and they should be on stage."

And although Gilkes got a lot of "licks" last year for saying the judging system should be revised, he is still standing by his comments.

"The music has changed and the criteria for judging have to change. People will call for maintaining the status quo . . . . That is good for Pic-O-De-Crop, it ain't good for party."

This year's finals crowd at the Calypso Bowl was the biggest ever, Gilkes said, with about 32 000 people attending.

Both artistes performed after the competition ended before thousands of screaming fans. (DS)