GOVT DEFENDS MILLE FLEURS MOVE

Even as it apologised to the Law Association, Government yesterday defended its decision to seize Mille Fleurs, Queen’s Park West, saying that it acted in the public’s interest. Speaking at a post-Cabinet news conference, Works Minister Franklin Khan said Government had little choice but to move in on the Mille Fleurs building to prevent it from falling into total disrepair. Khan said the building had deteriorated at such a “phenomenal rate” that “as a Government we felt that we stood a genuine chance of losing it (the building) in its entirety.” He said Government resolved that decisive and swift action was required. “We intended no disrespect to the Law Association. If our actions were, in the last few days, construed as such, we humbly apologise,” he said.

Khan said on September 12, 2001, the (UNC)  Cabinet agreed to lease the building to the Law Association for the restoration and maintenance of the building and thereafter for the housing of the secretariat of the Law Association. It was supposed to be done in conjunction with the Historical Restoration Unit of the Ministry of Works, he noted. But he said over the last three years little was done. Therefore, Cabinet agreed on October 21, 2004 to rescind the decision of the previous Cabinet and to take “immediate possession” of the building. Khan said he informed the President of the Law Assoc-iation, Russel Marti-neau VSC, of the Cabinet decision verbally when he met with him on October 22. Khan said he then informed Martineau  in writing.

One day after the letter was received, the Works Ministry moved in to occupy the building. Khan said the building was in such a bad state that when the Ministry of Works engineers entered the building, one guy slipped and fell down the stairs and almost damaged his back. He said Government would “very probably” move through Urban Development Company of Trinidad and Tobago (Ude-COTT) to do the complete historical restoration of Mille Fleurs in order to return it to its majestic beauty. Khan said Gover-nment had no intention to lease that building or any building of that nature (which is a historical building) to any private body in the future.  “Gover-nment’s preference at this time is that buildings of that nature would be reserved as national heritage and trust sites for purposes of the State,” he said.