Collapse a national disgrace
Today's editorial
Published: 18 May 2010
Today's editorial
The fact that part of the roof of President’s House, one of this country’s most magnificent heritage buildings, has been allowed to collapse must be a source of huge embarrassment for the Government.
President’s House is, after all, the official residence of this country’s head of state, it’s highest official. There is no getting away from the fact that what has transpired with President’s House over several decades of neglect is a national disgrace on at least three counts. Firstly, it cannot be argued that in the period 2001 to 2009 that money was a problem. It is estimated that in that nine-year period, the Government collected, spent and saved $256 billion—a considerable amount of money, some of which could have been spent renovating and maintaining all of the country’s heritage buildings.
Secondly, during the nine-year period, the Government had enough resources to embark on an ambitious programme of construction of state buildings. This includes the construction of a magnificent National Academy for the Performing Arts, a huge waterfront complex which includes a five-star hotel, several high-rise government buildings in downtown Port-of- Spain, a brand new university campus complex in east Trinidad and last, but by no means least, a palatial diplomatic centre and official residence of the Prime Minister. The point here is that the Government seemed anxious to spend billions of dollars constructing new buildings but was less willing to allocate a few million to renovate some of the stately houses that circle the Queen’s Park Savannah, including the most stately of them all, President’s House.
That the Government has chosen to construct a new official residence for the head of government, the Prime Minister, while leaving the complex of buildings that comprise President’s House to collapse literally remains one of the mysteries of the current administration. Thirdly, it is not as though the Government does not appreciate that some of these houses around the Savannah, which have been called the Magnificent Seven, are in need of renovation. In an interview with three journalists on Sunday, the Prime Minister revealed that Cabinet had allocated $2 million as a contribution toward the renovation of Archbishop’s Palace. While this sum will certainly be welcomed by the country’s Roman Catholics and those interested in our heritage, why is the Government allocating funds for the upgrade of the residence of the head of a denomination before it allocates funds for the upgrade of the residence and office of the head of state? Part of the problem is that the Government has a well-defined policy toward the construction of new buildings but such a policy is absent when it comes to heritage buildings.
In other countries that have achieved developed country status or are aspiring toward developed country status, heritage buildings are treated with reverence as being part of the country’s history. Such attitudes are tied in to a sense of pride, a sense of worth, and a sense of belonging, which some will argue are all in short supply in this country. We recommend, therefore, that whichever political party forms the government after the May 24 general election commit itself and the nation to ensuring that all of the heritage buildings identified by the National Trust, the statutory body with the mandate to preserve such structures, are brought up to the appropriate standard of repair.
The next administration should also ensure that a concrete purpose be given to three of the Magnificent Seven—Mille Fleurs, Whitehall and Stollmeyer’s Castle—that are owned by the State but for which there does not seem to be any rationale. And the administration must ensure that enough money is allocated to transform President’s House into something that reflects the country’s 2020 aspirations.