August 31 has come and gone, and while some images of our 50th anniversary have long left our collective memory, there is one I cannot shake: the promise from the Government that a "50th anniversary" LP produced by the "great" Machel Montano would be released in time for the celebrations.

Since the day has gone and there is no LP/CD in sight—save for a few promotional downloads to subscribers to Machel's mailing list—I have a few questions:

1. When will the LP/CD be released? We're ten days and counting past August 31.

2. If/when it comes out, how much will it cost? Free? $20? $30? I doubt it will be in the $100+ range since we taxpayers paid for its production.

3. How is it to be distributed if it is free? (After all, we paid already—and with the top-notch international collaborations, to boot.) Do we get a copy in our daily newspapers? Is it to be e-mailed as MP3s? Have the children who received laptops this year had the tracks pre-loaded?

4. To clarify, how much did the Government pay for this project, and can I get this information via the Freedom of Information Act? Who mastered these recordings? Who mixed them? What is the distribution label? Was this pursued with an intent to create value for money?

5. Did the Ministry of Planning consider Mr Montano's ongoing assault case before the local courts before approving this project? After all, should things not go in Machel's favour, this would be another egg on the already soiled face of this administration, wouldn't it?

Those were my questions. If only I could be provided with answers.

Anthony Beach

San Fernando