Despite the minister’s apology assuring that the new straw market will be rebuilt in Jan. 2004, straw vendors are seeking “the truth behind the postponement.”
Esther Thompson, a vendor for over 50 years, said, “The former government relocated us in two weeks, and we wanna know why it taking this government two years to build us a new market.”
The market was destroyed by fire in Sept. 2001, displacing some 600 vendors.
Leslie Miller, Minister of Trade and Industry, recently announced that reconstruction for the new market at its original site would be postponed for a third time ﾗ from August to Jan. 2004 ﾗ due to unforeseen delays.
He said the delay was partially caused by continuous negotiations with the Caribbean Development Bank, who approached the Government to secure funds. In turn, the agency suggested that the government open the bidding, now slated for Oct., to international construction companies.
To this, Mr. Miller said the government felt that “it would be almost criminal that we would allow a foreign entity to come into The Bahamas and put up a structure like the straw market, that is so unidentifiable with the Bahamian people.”
Furthermore, Mr. Miller said there was “some conversational mix-up,” between Bahamian architect Michael Foster, selected to design the $13 million facility, and the Ministry of Public Works and Utilities.
With a contract now drawn and signed, he is confident that the project “is ready to go.”
Vendors at the market are “not buying Mr. Miller’s story” and await an explanation for the continuous postponement.
Ms. Thompson is convinced that the government has its personal agenda, and is not working for straw vendors.
She said: “Our life shouldn’t be held up. We don’t need to be in this position waiting to accommodate him (Mr. Miller). They are not acting in the vendor’s best interest. They have their agenda.”
The government’s main concern, Ms Thompson said, should be sheltering and providing health care for Bahamians.
“They didn’t create this business opportunities for us, we created our own business opportunities. The industry belongs to us. My mother taught me, I taught my children and that’s how this big thing came about,” she said. “One thing we asked the government ﾗ give us a place to sell our goods.”
Reflecting on the straw market fire and the day former prime minister Hubert Ingraham met with vendors, Ms Thompson said Mr. Ingraham assured them that they would be transferred to a new site within two months.
Two months transformed into two weeks, as private agencies stepped in to erect a $1 million tent near the Pompey Museum, at which the vendors remain today.
The former government, after giving more than 500 vendors $2,000 each to replace their goods, spent roughly $2.1 million renovating the old Customs building near Prince George Dock. But, the vendors were never relocated, as the United States Embassy labeled the structure unsafe.
Another vendor, who referred to herself only as “Ms Newbold,” asked: “Why are they throwing us around like that?”
Ms Newbold said she feels as if the government stuck a candy in her mouth and ordered her to “suck that.”
In response, Ms Thompson said, “Candy must be too expensive, because they ain’t even giving me a candy.”
The first phase of the state-of-the-art facility will include a handicraft and souvenir building, to be dubbed the Heroes Centre, at the site where vendors are temporarily located. Once completed, the Prince George Wharf will be transformed into a boardwalk, while the new market will include 500 stalls for vendors.
By Khashan Poitier, The Nassau Guardian
