Parliment gets marching orders

Government sources confirmed to Newsday yesterday that the intention is to have the Parliament temporarily housed at the Old National Library Building (next to City Hall) which continues all the way to the corner of Pembroke and Duke St from possibly as early as September 2006. Government had taken a previous decision in 2003 that there should be a new Parliament building and that the Red House should be designated for use by the Prime Minister’s office. But at that time there had been no instructions to leave. Government sources explained yesterday that the plan is to have the Parliament Chamber remain in the Red House, exactly where it is currently sited, with the administrative sections of the Parliament- such as the Hansard, Library, etc transferred to the old Library Building.

Other sources however described the old Library Building, which is just about one-third of the space which Parliament currently occupies, as wholly inadequate. Furthermore, sources said that it was highly impractical and restrictive for some of the Parliament offices to be in one building and others to be in another building.

Sources said yesterday that while most MPs, (with the exception of Independent Senator Ken Ramchand who is dead set against moving Parliament) have accepted the idea of putting the legislature in a new, bigger, purpose-built structure, there is overwhelming objection to interim housing. This protest is more vigorous since it appears that this would be for an indeterminate period. Newsday understands that the Cabinet is divided on this issue. Government sources said that while the Cabinet has not taken a final decision on where the new Parliament building will be located, the recommended site is the block north of the Red House. But it has not yet been acquired. The block includes the Magistrates’ Courts as well as privately owned buildings. Sources stated yesterday that since no designs have been drawn up for the new Parliament building, no sod turned, it was highly unlikely that the construction would even begin within the next five years. And they are asking why the Government’s priority is not the construction of the new Parliament building, rather than the restoration of the existing building for the offices of the Prime Minister.

"Parliament is not moving from the Red House until they build a new Parliament building," one legislator said yesterday. "And the Parliament will stand up to that," the source insisted. Because, the source added, it would mean that the Parliament would be moving from a building occupied for the last 100 years into a temporary place of residence in order to have the building fixed up for the Prime Minister. It is contrary to the decision taken by the House Committee two years ago that until a new building is constructed, Parliament stays where it is, the source said.

Even more significant, sources pointed out is the question of how would Government implement its decision. There is a view that no entity, except the Parliament, can instruct the Parliament to move. The matter should come for a determination by the two houses — House of Representatives and the Senate. Government has a majority in the House of Representatives. In the Senate however, combined votes of the Opposition and Independents are equal to the votes of the Government. And the only way a tie can be broken with the casting vote of the President of the Senate, who in the event of a stalemate, is required to maintain the status quo (which would mean keeping the Parliament in the Red House).

The plan to use the Red House for the Office in Prime Minister was first mooted in 1992 when Prime Minister Patrick Manning unveiled his plans at a PNM local government election convention for a new City Centre. The PNM however lost office.

When the UNC came to office a decision was taken to restore the Red House for Parliament’s exclusive use. (At the time Parliament shared the building with other departments of Government). When the PNM returned to office in 2002, a decision was taken to move the entire Parliament into Chaguaramas to facilitate this restoration. But by the next year the Cabinet, in reversal of that decision, agreed that there should be a new Parliament building and the Red House should go to the PM’s office. At that stage all the original designs for the restoration of the Red House were scrapped and a new project manager — UDeCOTT —replaced the Minister of Works and Transport.