Gov’t defends allocation to repair PM’s official residence

KINGSTOWN (CMC):

Prime Minister Dr Godwin on Friday has defended the EC$1.5 million (US$554,000) allocated in the national budget for repairs to the official residence of the prime minister, arguing that the building poses serious safety risks, including fire hazards.

Wrapping up the debate on the EC$1.9-billion (US$701.6-million) Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure, Friday – whose New Development Party (NDP) took to office in the November 27 general elections after nearly 25 years in opposition – said the residence’s roof and guardrails were in a dangerous state.

Former Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves disputed the scale of the allocation, warning that the cost “is going to balloon”. Addressing legislators, he said: “I’m saying to the people of this country, when I left that house, it was liveable. It needed some repairs, but liveable.”

Under the previous administration, EC$75,000 was allocated in 2022 for the ‘Enhancement of the Prime Minister’s Residence’, matching an allocation approved a year earlier. In 2023, a further EC$250,000 was set aside “to undertake minor works and procurement of furniture, fittings and equipment”, followed by allocations of EC$75,000 in 2024 and EC$65,000 in 2025. The project was expected to be completed in 2023, with an estimated overall cost of EC$437,661.

Gonsalves also criticised the EC$600,000 earmarked for the purchase of motor vehicles for use by the prime minister, noting that the vehicles would be imported duty-free, but would cost about EC$1.3 million if duties were applied. He said the vehicles he had used – “three or four of them” – were “perfectly functioning” and “had another couple of years going for them”.

In response, Friday said his predecessor was quick to criticise the enhancement of the official residence and the “so-called fleet of vehicles”, insisting that the residence was in a “horrible condition” and clearly uninhabitable.

He said that days after winning the election, he visited the prime minister’s residence expecting to make “just some cosmetic” changes, including “to paint a little bit here and put some curtains and so forth, and change some linen and some upholstery”. Instead, he concluded that “it’s quite clear that the place is not in a state to move in”.

‘Serious problems’

Friday said a provisional budget had initially been prepared for cosmetic work, but once the extent of the deterioration became clear, the touring team concluded that “this is not possible”. As a result, the state agency BRAGSA was called in to conduct an assessment, and he initially expected repairs to take two or three months.

“But then they (BRAGSA) said there’s the most serious problems here. I’m hearing now that all the (galvanised) sheeting on the roof has to be replaced because it is corroded, and in some places, it may actually be leaking.

“I heard now, as well, the electrical system is a fire hazard; that the entire electrical system in the residence has to be replaced. I wasn’t expecting that,” he told lawmakers, adding that “the rails around the building is rotting, and it’s dangerous and it’s urgent that it has to be replaced”.

Friday said other upgrades and remodelling could be considered, but stressed that such decisions were not his to make, noting: “this building is a heritage building”.

“This is something that the country should preserve and be proud of,” he said, describing the official residence as a national treasure.

Beyond the main building, Friday drew attention to the condition of a structure erected during Gonsalves’ tenure to house members of the prime minister’s security detail. He said National Security Minister St Clair Leacock, who visited police stations across the country following the election, had spoken about “the conditions under which the police are made or forced to live”, adding that similar conditions existed at the security facility on the residence’s grounds.

“They’re sleeping in bunks, four to a room. These are things that need to be changed. I would not be comfortable sleeping in the prime minister’s residence knowing that the people who are supposed to be guarding the prime minister is sleeping in those conditions,” Friday said, adding that “unfortunately, the residence has gotten to a point where it’s going to require much more” than initially anticipated.

As finance minister, Friday said limited time to prepare the budget had forced staff to work late before deciding to allocate funds for the project.

“So, they put $1.5 million there. Initially, it was less than that. But I hope that it can be done for that. I hope it can be done for less, because the state that it’s in it is going to require quite a lot of work,” he said.

He stressed that responsibility for the project rests with BRAGSA, and that the expenditure is not intended to beautify the residence for his personal benefit.

“This is ensuring that the building stays erect and that it’s safe,” he said, proposing that, in future, responsibility for the maintenance of both the prime minister’s residence and Government House, the residence of the governor general, should rest with a dedicated institution rather than with individual occupants.