MANCHESTER, Jamaica – Businessman and party promoter Adion Peart, more popularly known as ‘Diamond Finger’ says he has been given approval by the Manchester Municipal Corporation to stage his event Color Splash on Christmas Eve following a week of widespread debate and a clash with the corporation.

This after he moved the event venue from Main Street in Mandeville to Nashville, a few hundred metres closer to the town centre, with the support of the renowned Lyn’s family.

“The issue that we had before. We got it sorted out now. We had some discussions over the weekend and we came to a solution and we don’t have much time, so I decided to move the location to Nashville right beside the bus park,” he said on Tuesday.

The Lyn’s family, who operate a funeral home, agreed to allow Peart to use several acres of land at Nashville. He thanked them. However, he is still disturbed by the previous decision of the municipal corporation to revoke a permit that was initially granted for Main Street.

“Coming to the third location, it is very frustrating and costly, it is just a couple of days before the event I hope they don’t come back with any issues…. The public can be assured that the event will go on for the 24th,” he said.

His brother and Councillor Ryan Peart (People’s National Party, Spur Tree division) who voted against the revocation is calling for a committee to deal with events.

“There are several events that have been approved and this is the first time we basically did a vote to make a decision. I don’t see where the fairness in that is. These are things that we need to look into. Issues like this we need to have a committee to deal with that,” he said.

The Peart brothers’ cousin, former local government minister, parliamentarian and mayor, Dean Peart shared a similar sentiment.

“The whole thing wasn’t handled properly, if you make an application for something and you get the permission and then after [you’re] going to withdraw the permission. That is why I agree with Ryan that you should have a sub-committee now with all the interested parties, but the one man thing is absolutely corrupt. The one man thing [is] not going to work. You need to have a committee where all applications come in and it will be a fairer process, but this process is not right,” he said.

“When you look he has had his event over a period of time and it hasn’t been a problem and all of a sudden in every way you try and block it. Why? It must be the victimisation they are talking about. Why them victimise him? I don’t know. Some people say it is political. I don’t know. I am not in agreement with what the parish council [municipal corporation] did and this one man thing not going to work,” he added.

– Kasey Williams