STRAW Market Authority chairman Ron Pinder has been criticised for being too hard on vendors and portraying them in a negative light.

Following Mr Pinder’s announcement that 73 straw vendors had been shut down for failure to pay licencing fees, Esther Thompson, president of the Straw Business Persons Society, issued a statement hitting out at Mr Pinder and explaining the challenges she and her colleagues now face.

She said: “Straw vendors refuse to allow Mr Pinder to make them uncomfortable and frustrated in the industry they spent years building.

“We are advised that Mr Pinder recently became a lawyer. It is believed that he is attempting to practice law on straw vendors. However, if this is so, Mr Pinder should be mindful of the landlord and tenant law of the Bahamas and know that his actions are contrary to that law.

“This is unjust and we are calling on the government to step in and bring closure to this treatment being imposed on vendors by Mr Pinder.”

Last week, Mr Pinder revealed that around $216,000 was still owed to the public by vendors, but said he believes a great deal of it can be collected.

However, the association said his approach to the job has caused “many heartaches and pains” and that the PLP should “stop and evaluate his performance and actions, to see if they are in tune with what they promised the straw vendors while in opposition.”

The statement said some market seniors, who spent their life building the industry, are now experiencing “sleepless nights” because of the hard line being taken by Mr Pinder when it comes to unpaid fees.

“The Straw Market is in urgent need of a managing director who will be responsible for overseeing and managing the day-to-day activities of the Straw Market. We were advised that this post became vacant since July 2012,” the statement said.

“Straw vendors are law abiding citizens, who pay their taxes and have contributed to the economic development of this country for more than 100 years.

“Today, straw vendors are continuing to contribute by generating funds and injecting new money that is being circulated in the Bahamian economy daily.

“These newly generated funds are helping to keep our economy afloat. This is just one of the many reasons why we believe that it is wrong for Mr Pinder not to treat straw vendors with the dignity and respect they deserve.”

The statement pointed out that according to the law, the minister responsible for the Straw Market – at the moment Deputy Prime Minister Philip Davis – has the final say on all industry related matters.

It said: “Mr Pinder constantly informs vendors that he is executing the instructions of the Prime Minster and the Deputy Prime Minister. The Straw Business Persons Society would like to know if Mr Pinder’s actions are truly the instructions and mandate of the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister”.

They called for an immediate answer from the government.