Baboolal: No talk of Parliament moving

SENATE PRESIDENT, Dr Linda Baboolal, yesterday said she was unaware of a Cabinet decision to move Parliament out of the Red House in order to accommodate the Office of the Prime Minister there.

Approached on the issue by Newsday following the opening of a photographic exhibition at the National Library to commemorate the 31st anniversary of Caricom-Cuba relations, Dr Baboolal said: “I have had no discussions on the matter.” Asked what she knew about the proposed relocation, the Senate president replied: “Only what I read in the newspapers.” Newsday reported two weeks ago that by Cabinet minute 2739 of October 23, 2003, Government agreed that the restored Red House will be used to house the Prime Minister’s office, with certain other areas being designated for public access. The House Committee of the House of Representatives has said that Parliament would have to be “relocated internally” as restoration works continue.

The Committee is reportedly divided over the temporary relocation of Parliament and finding a permanent site for Parliament. The Committee has disapproved a designated site north of the Red House bounded by Knox, Abercromby, Duke and St Vincent Streets for Parliament and has reportedly suggested the Emperor Valley Zoo and the Princess Building as possible sites for Parliament.  Other sites deemed unsuitable for Parliament include the Cyril Duprey Building and the Chaguaramas Hotel and Convention Centre. Prime Minister Patrick Manning declined comment on the matter when approached by reporters following the PNM’s General Council meeting at Balisier House on Sunday. Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday said it would be “a tragedy of immense proportions” if Government succeeds in evicting Parliament from the Red House.