The government intends to establish a Straw Market Authority to set rules and govern the practices of straw vendors, Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia Pratt announced to hundreds of straw vendors during a meeting at the Sir Kendal G. L. Isaacs Gymnasium yesterday.
The Bay Street Straw Market is scheduled to reopen today after being closed for a two-day cleanup.
On Thursday, the deputy prime minister, who has responsibility for the market, said the filthy surroundings in which vendors were working were unacceptable and she also expressed concerns over reports of drug dealing and other illegal activities in the Bay Street market.
Yesterday, Mrs. Pratt also said the government will not tolerate illegal immigrants working at any of the markets.
“The market is for Bahamians,” she told the vendors. “You must understand that if you are here illegally you must go. I am sorry, but you must go. That is the only way we are going to get it right. We said we wanted to clean it up, and you [have] to work with me so that we can clean it up.”
Recently appointed Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson, who also attended the meeting, challenged the vendors to take their businesses to another level.
Minister Maynard-Gibson explained how a Straw Market Authority could work.
“The straw market company, the owner, could have a board of directors comprised of the vendors and interested stakeholders, for example, the owner could be the government, the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce, and others involved in the tourism business,” she said.
“The board of directors, just like any other company, would set the policies or the rules by which the company would operate-the market would be managed by the vendors; you manage your market-so you would be managing yourselves, collecting money for the rent of the stalls, making sure that new marketing is properly maintained.”
Minister Pratt, meanwhile, reminded the straw vendors that their business is just as important as the businesses of other Bay Street merchants.
“Vendors you are just as important as [John Bull]-because you are Bahamian and you are in a business,” Minister Pratt said. “But at the same time you must act accordingly, and be concerned about our surroundings because if we are going to move forward, I can’t show favouritism to [any of you].”
With the assistance from The Ministry of Tourism, the deputy prime minister said that decorative pots and plants will be placed at the front entrance of the Bay Street market.
“I have also asked them to give us some umbrellas that we can set up on the outside so that when the tourists come those choosing to sit outside can wait in comfort,” she said.
By: Royanne Forbes-Darville, The Bahama Journal
