THE Ministry of Education, the Guyana Police Force and Digicel are the big winners of the Mashramani 2015 competition and Jumo “Rubber Waist” Primo was crowned King of the Road March Competition. The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport announced the winners after the results were perused and audited by Nizam Ali and Company, Chartered Accountants. Culture Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony on Mashramani Day related that the judges for the then float parade had a very challenging job as all the bands for the 2015 competition were better than before in terms of creativity and numbers of revellers.

Digicel Guyana walked away with five prizes from the Mash Competition: they were crowned winner for the Queen, Female and Male Individual Pieces; 1st in the medium band semi-costume and 1st in the full costume category. During a telephone conversation with Digicel Guyana Communications Manager, Vidya Bijlall-Sanichara, she explained that this is the sixth year that Digicel has won numerous prizes. “We are on top of the world, the company has invested a great deal of time and money into Mash and we are very satisfied with the results,” she said.
She related too that the company uses these outcomes as motivators and “we are proud to be associated with the up-keeping of the Guyanese culture.” The communications manager explained that “it is a wonderful feeling for all who worked tirelessly to come out on the day and see all the families and children enjoying our display and then to be awarded for our participation.”
“It’s the first time I won the Road Mash Competition,” were the words of an excited but humble Jumo “Rubber Waist” Primo. Speaking via telephone with the Guyana Chronicle, he revealed that his songs have been entered on numerous occasions but ‘I never pushed it, I just lay back since it was entered as a team.”
The song most played on Mash Day during the float parade is declared the winner of the Road March Competition. Jumo, as he is popularly known, explained that the road to being crowned Soca Monarch and now Road March winner was not easy, “with all the ups and downs that were experienced, I must thank God for allowing me this opportunity.”
He acknowledged and thanked all the ministries, the Progressive Youth Organisation and the numerous Disc Jockeys (DJ) that had played his song on Mash Day. “Unruly, is a people song,” he said, further thanking his fans, both old and new. “I am committed to the music industry in Guyana and with recognition like this I am here to stay,” he concluded.
Taking the full costume prizes in the small category are the Ministry of Education with first prize, followed by the Ministry of Agriculture in second place and third place, Region 5. Education Minister, Priya Manickchand told the Guyana Chronicle, “We are elated to have won.” She explained that a lot of effort is put into the ministry’s participation every year and “We are usually pleased by the results.”

This year, she noted, “We had a lot of fun on the road and I would like to congratulate and thank all involved.” She singled out especially the Allied Arts Unit and the band’s designer Nelsion Nurse. She however, warned, “Next year we will be defending our title and coming even better.”
In the medium-sized category, the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs took first place with the Ministry of Tourism in second, followed by Region 10 in third. In the semi-costume division in the small category, the first place was taken by the Ministry of Housing and Water, followed by the Ministry of Local Government in second place and “Slingshot” in third. In the medium category, the first prize was taken by DIGICEL followed by the Ministry of Health in second place, with third place going to Region 6.
The large category semi-costume title was won by the Guyana Police Force; this is the first year for the participation of this band after some 10 years of absence from the annual Mash activities. Assistant Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken spoke with the Guyana Chronicle and expressed happiness and satisfaction with winning within their category. “We are all very happy about winning since we have not been participating for some 10 years now,” he explained. In second place was the Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO) and third the Guyana Youth and Students Movement.
For the floats, in the non-commercial category the first prize was taken by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport with second place going to Ministry of Local Government, “Slingshot” took the third spot. In the Regional Competition Full Costume, in the small-band category, the first prize went to Region 5; in the medium category the first prize was taken by Region 10; the second prize went to Region 4 and the third prize, to Region 3.

In the small category for semi-costumes, the first prize went to the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development with Region 6 taking the first prize in the medium category. Individual pieces were won by Region 3, which took the King prize, with Region 6 winning the Queen. The Male was taken by Region 4, and Region 10, the female prize.