The Government has come under heavy fire from Former Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran, who described its recent contract with Dax Contracting Services Ltd (Dax) as having “all the hallmarks of criticisms made against the Government in relation to procurement.”Former Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph RamkarranThat agreement sees Dax being given a 25 year maintenance contract with the option to renew for an additional 15 years. The maintenance contract is for the rehabilitation of the Brazil to Guyana fibre optic cable. Dax, which is owned by Faisal Mohamed, was also granted millions worth in tax breaks and holidays in exchange for the maintenance of the cable.The Former Speaker aired his criticism on the agreement in a recent post on his blog, The Conversation Tree entitled “Axe the Dax”.The former House Speaker said that this particular cable project has been plagued with controversy, as it was to be part of the E-Governance Project, which had the objective of providing Government agencies with the capacity to develop ICT capabilities.This is despite the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) Company’s fibre optic cable having the capacity to satisfy all of Guyana’s Telecommunication need. With the implementation of another fibre optic cable,NFL Jerseys Cheap Authentic, the Government is being accused of undermining GT&T,Cheap NFL Jerseys, as they could have purchased the cable from the telephone company which would have proven to be far more cost effective.“The contract between the Government and Dax Engineering Company Inc. in relation to the E-governance Georgetown to Brazil fibre optic cable, drew loud objections from APNU (A Partnership for National Unity) and the WPA (Working People’s Alliance), both vowing to rescind it,” wrote Ramkarran.The political commentator further highlighted the provisions which were granted to Dax under the Government contract; that being the access Dax has to use the entire fibre optic cable,Wholesale NFL Jerseys China, repeater stations, infrastructure and equipment for 25 years,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, with an option a 15 renewal. The agreement also includes enormous tax benefits, in return for repairing the cable as well as Dax being given licenses to “transmit and receive data and information”.In his article, Ramkarran explained that while the constitution and other legal avenues do not object to the contract,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, “entering into important contractual obligations or arrangements by the Government after the announcement of elections is prohibited by convention.”To this end, Ramkarran posited that the Government is unbothered by the principles of transparent governance, as the recent timing of the agreement with Dax is testament of that.Moreover, the former politician outlined three issues that arise from Government’s most recent procurement. The first of which being the timing of the contract so close to elections with the second being that the terms appear to have already been negotiated and is a “complete giveaway”. The latter he said is contrary to Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon’s indication that negotiations were still necessary to determine the number of “pairs” in the cable that Dax would eventually receive. The third of these issues, according to Ramkarran, is the failure of the Government to transparently advertise bids for the project.According to the former PPP member, such issues present a clear vindication of those who were initially against the project due to the suspicion that it was being set up in competition to the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) to benefit cronies. However, Ramkarran said that the Government may claim that circumstances necessitated the privatisation of the project, but stressed that this move will result in a “destructive competitive environment”, with respect to a product which will be in oversupply as a result of Government action.“It will result in an undermining of market forces and loss of confidence by the business community in the Government’s bonafides with respect to creating fair conditions for creative competition to flourish,” wrote Ramkarran.In concluding his article,China NFL Jerseys, Ramkarran stated that the awarding of a contract more suitable for competitive bidding and has implications for an entire industry, continues the Government’s “old ways” of “no transparency”. This, he said, is despite the PPP/C’s promise to deal with corruption.“The other companies which have been granted permission to lay fibre optic cables have also been undermined by this act,” concluded the former speaker. !

The son of the President of Suriname has been arrested on U.S. drug and weapon charges, federal prosecutors said Friday.Dino Bouterse, Director of Suriname’s anti-terrorism unit, was arrested Thursday in Panama by local authorities and turned over to U.S. agents, said Preet Bharara, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.Dino bouterseHis arrest, according to an Associated Press (AP) story, comes as his father, Desi Bouterse, himself convicted of drug offences,Jerseys Wholesale, hosts the annual UNASUR summit for leaders of South American countries. Officials in Suriname announced Friday that the opening statement by Desi Bouterse would be postponed by several hours.Local government officials have declined further comment.Dino Bouterse was scheduled to appear in Manhattan federal court yesterday afternoon after being flown to New York late Thursday, officials said.“Bouterse is a significant drug trafficker,Cheap Wholesale Jerseys,” said Derek Maltz, special agent-in-charge with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.Bouterse faces a U.S. federal indictment alleging he worked with a man identified as Edmund Quincy Muntslag to smuggle cocaine into the United States starting in or about December 2011. It also charges him with violating firearms laws by brandishing a light anti-tank weapon during the narcotics offense.The indictment says Bouterse was involved in smuggling a suitcase filled with 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of cocaine aboard a commercial flight from Suriname to the Caribbean in late July.Federal prosecutors said Muntslag was arrested Thursday in Trinidad.Bouterse’s father is a former coup leader and convicted drug trafficker who was elected president of Suriname in July 2010. Shortly after his inauguration,Cheap China Jerseys, Bouterse appointed his son as director of Suriname’s Counter Terrorist Unit,Wholesale Jerseys Cheap, drawing heavy criticism from opposition legislators who expressed concern that no legal framework was created for the unit to operate.In 2011, unit officials were criticized for acting as police officers when they killed two men suspected in several violent crimes.In August 2002, prosecutors in Suriname charged Dino Bouterse with stealing 50 guns from the government intelligence service. Police at the time accused Bouterse of fleeing to Curacao to avoid arrest, although his father said Bouterse had traveled there for personal business.A year later, prosecutors dropped charges, citing a lack of evidence.Police detained the younger Bouterse again in September 2004 after seizing a large number of assault weapons, ammunition and 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of cocaine from a local auto shop.He was sentenced to eight years in prison in August 2005 after a judge found him guilty of leading a ring that trafficked in cocaine,Supply Cheap Jerseys, illegal arms and stolen luxury cars.Dino Bouterse is not unknown in Guyana. He is mentioned in the famous Wikileaks cables.In 2006, former US Ambassador to Guyana, Roland Bullen, in a confidential cable to his superiors in Washington DC,Jerseys Authentic Stitched, US, said that the younger Bouterse may have been involved in moving weapons to the village of Buxton on the East Coast of Demerara, at the time known to be a hotbed of criminal activities.“Desi Bouterse’s son Dino organized a Surinamese soccer team’s trip to Buxton a few years ago.? It is believed that the team bus carried weapons to Buxton,” the cable said.That particular cable examined the relationship between convicted Guyanese drug kingpin Roger Khan and President Bouterse, and the fallout from the former’s arrest shortly before.