by Rick Lowe
Well, well. It was announced in The Tribune on Wednesday, October 1, 2008 that the government will rebuild the “Famous Nassau Straw Market” on the site where it burned at the hands of an arsonist in 2001.
In a news article by Alison Lowe she confirms that “The government has budgeted around $5 million to build a new straw market…”
This is a far cry from the $23 million budgeted by the recently ousted PLP government, but it still seems excessive to me to house what The Nassau Institute found in this study was little more than a retail outlet for t-shirts, fake bags and other strange transactions. In other words, it is no longer a local craft market.
On a recent trip to Italy, referred to as a first world country, I visited the market in Lucca and found the vendors were housed in little more than a sophisticated tent, as shown in the following photographs.
Click on images to enlarge.
Of course it’s not a bad idea to have a market as many countries around the world have, but it seems to me that spending $5 million is over the top. Particularly when the vendors are not made to pay rent or keep the premises clean etc.
This matter deserves clearer thinking.
Regardless of the amount of money spent to rebuild the Straw Market, the whole system involving it needs to be restructured. If tax payers money is going to be used, it should be a local craft market and ONLY local crafts be allowed. If t-shirts are made and printed locally using local artist and depicting local scenes only then should they be sold. All other items allowed to be sold should be local craft. Also only Bahamians should be allowed to rent booths and work in the market. I am tired of visitors asking me what languages we speak in the Bahamas.
I must say that i agree, if the vendors were paying rent it would be an entirely different story, why doesn’t the government give taxi drivers a new taxi or a crawfisherman a new boat and motor, or give a business man a new building to put his store in? The list can go on and on.
Help, I need a “Bailout” ! Dear Mr.Government, can you please pay off my mortgage to ? Please, pretty please ? Oh, My electricity bill is getting kind of high to, can you please pay that for me. Oh I forgot, my business license is outrageous, can you please cut that down a little, I am tired of being over taxed for the benefit of bailing the whole world out.What you can do for me is FIX THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM & THE POLICE FORCE !