Edmond Campbell, Senior News Coordinator
( L - R ) MORIN SEYMOUR, ANTHONY JOHNSON, FITZ JACKSON, MARVIN GOODMAN and SHARON HAY WEBSTER
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR of the Kingston Restoration Company (KRC), Morin Seymour, is advocating a public/private sector partnership to construct a new Parliament building while architect Marvin Goodman has cautioned against the construction of a grandiose building to house the country's legislature.
"No halls filled with marble, but something reflecting the land of wood and water, the country's ecology and environment, it should represent the aspirations of the people," Mr. Goodman said yesterday during a Gleaner Editors' Forum at the company's North Street offices in Kingston.
During the forum, Mr. Seymour suggested the construction of a new Parliament building should not be carried out in a mediocre way, arguing that "this is the seat of Government where all the major decisions are taken and therefore it needs to have the best facilities so that it can enable good decision making."
He argued that the benefits to be derived from a more efficient Parliament far outweigh the costs.
Commenting on proposals to construct the new building at the Myrtle Bank site in downtown Kingston, Mr. Seymour said buildings in this area could be demolished to create space for a Parliament building which would add value to the area.
The KRC executive director said there are elements of the project that could attract private sector funding while other areas could be financed by the Government.
GORDON HOUSE INADEQUATE
Even with expanded facilities at Gordon House, Mr. Goodman said this would be inadequate to meet the needs of a modern Parliament.
"You need a new building, correctly designed in the right place in keeping with the aspirations and the financial abilities of this country and avoid stopgap temporary measures," he said.
However, Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate, Anthony Johnson, told the forum that the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) had proposed alternatives to Gordon House, including the Jamaica Conference Centre and Oceana Hotel in downtown Kingston. As a short-term measure, the Opposition is suggesting Government acquire buildings in the vicinity of Parliament to expand the building thereby accommodating committee meetings and other business conducted by the House.
He made it clear that the JLP is opposed to the construction of a new Parliament building at National Heroes' Park, noting that this area should be preserved as a national monument and beauty spot dedicated to Jamaica's heroes.
Deputy Leader of Government Business in the House, Fitz Jackson, said that, while there was growing consensus among parliamentarians on the need for a new building, the public had expressed reservations about the spending of large sums to construct a Parliament building.
In her presentation to the Sectoral Debate on Wednesday, Member of Parliament for South Central St. Catherine, Sharon Hay Webster, again raised the issue and called for support from her colleagues on both sides of the political divide.
In 2003, a committee headed by Gleaner chairman Oliver Clarke made recommendations for the construction of a new Parliament building, citing woefully inadequate facilities to carry out the nation's business.
