House arrest

TIME HAS stopped for the former Speaker’s House.

Once the official residence of Speakers of the House of Representatives, the building at 9 Mary Street, St Clair, is partly boarded up.

The last Speaker to live in the house was Occah Seapaul, the first woman to sit in the chair. In 1995, Ms Seapaul was subject to house arrest on the premises on the orders of prime minister Patrick Manning.

Ms Seapaul’s stay in the house eventually came to an end, but the neglect had only just begun.

This week, Udecott chairman Noel Garcia confirmed there are no definite plans to preserve the building.

A meeting with the National Trust is due to take place in coming weeks.

It cannot come soon enough. The building’s descent into dilapidation continued this week: palm branches have fallen onto the roof, there is chipped paint, rust and mould on railings, sagging and flaking awnings, falling pillars on the walkway and vines on the ventilation grilles.

In contrast, Udecott has recently completed or is busy at work on renovation of sites such as the Red House, President’s House, Mille Fleurs, Whitehall, and the Old Public Library in downtown Port of Spain – earmarked to house prime ministerial archives.

Why is a site of similar historical significance being overlooked?

Not all maintenance work has stopped. The roof and windows remain intact and the grass seems to have been trimmed. Records indicate at least $0.6 million spent in repairs.

However, in 2017 it emerged Cabinet had granted the Foreign and Caricom Affairs Ministry approval to build its head office there. In 2018, worried about reports that the building might be sold to a private buyer at a cut-rate price or demolished, conservationists held a vigil there.

Whatever the outcome of the talks with Mr Garcia, the National Trust needs to do more than simply accept whatever position Udecott adopts.

When it comes to historic sites, it should not fall to the Executive alone to have the final say. The politics surrounding Ms Seapaul’s tenure may well have something to do with the state of the building.

In 2016, the current Prime Minister repeated claims that Ms Seapaul was put under house arrest because of fears over a plot to undermine Mr Manning’s parliamentary majority. Ms Seapaul cried foul and said she was contemplating legal action.

None of this should affect how we go about protecting sites that have histories extending far beyond the political issues of the day.

The trust has to live up to its name. “Trust” implies using its legislative powers more effectively, moving at a faster pace in listing and registering properties and also assisting governments in public education campaigns.

It’s time to speak up on Speaker’s House.

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