The Tribune

This week, PLP MPs Fred Mitchell and Andre Rollins led the call for the construction of a new Parliament building, as they said the current structure is inadequate for the members to carry out the business of the people.

Stressing his dislike for the current facility, Mr Mitchell, who is the Minister of Foreign Affairs, described it as cramped, too intimate and too accessible, and said that the building has “long ago outlived its adequacy.”

Mr Mitchell suggested government travel to neighbouring countries, including Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Antigua, to observe their parliamentary complexes.

Fort Charlotte MP Andre Rollins said that even if such a facility cost $50 million, the government could find a way to pay for it.

According to Dr Rollins, the new Parliament could be used as a tourist attraction – with visitors charged $5 a time to tour the complex and appreciate the Bahamas “deep democracy”.

Opposition members, however, said that while the country is in need of a new complex, there are other pressing issues which should precede it.

Neko Grant, Central Grand Bahama MP, said: “While this Parliament and building is not what I certainly would wish for us to have, having visited the parliament in Ottawa, I can only again question the timing of it.

“Should we not focus attention on matters more substantive that will enrich the lives of people who we serve? That we continue to say need attention and are suffering from closure and suffering from unemployment?”

T Big T hit the streets to ask members of the public to weigh in on the issue.

“I think that the building has too much history to it to just tear it down or move it somewhere else. When you think about the House of Assembly, it’s like when you think of Junkanoo, it’s downtown and Rawson Square. I can’t think of anywhere else they would move it.”

- Rico Stubbs

“This whole idea to fix the House of Assembly is just a gimmick and a waste of money so that they can get public funds. They need to focus on all this killing and crime before they focus on a building.”

- Dickie Kemp

“I really don’t think that should be a priority of the government right now. We don’t have any money right now to do it. If they do go ahead, would they want to put it another location? Because where it is now it is a landmark.”

- Dino Barr

“It is really not feasible to do anything about it right now, because at the moment the country is in just dire financial straits and we would have to significantly reduce the debt that we have now before we did anything about that.”

- George Seymour

“We don’t have no money for that right now.

“They need to leave that alone for now.”

- Carl Knowles

“I definitely don’t think that it should be moved off Bay Street. And even if it is needed, how can we address that now, do you see the debt that we are in?

- Chavez Johnson