MPs say…The very secretive way in which the specifications of government contracts are made available has been described as a way to facilitate corruption,
Cheap Jerseys Wholesale, according some Members of Parliament and key figures in society.At present, the only persons privy to the information are the contractors who buy the bid documents.Several efforts by this newspaper to obtain those specifications from contractors who have purchased those documents have proved futile.This newspaper has been seeking specific information as it relates to specific projects being undertaken such as roads, bridges,
Cheap NFL Jerseys China, culverts, etc.This newspaper recently attempted to get some information as it relates to a community road built on the West Coast of Demerara and was given the ‘royal run around’ as it relates to the specification of what is required.Sometime ago,
Cheap Jeseys NFL, President Bharrat Jagdeo had told a reporter from this newspaper that Kaieteur News can buy the bid document if it wants the information.Member of Parliament Everall Franklin, whilst conceding that it is necessary for the contractors who bid for the contracts to purchase the documents, given the printing and other costs attached to preparing them says that the information should be made available online for the average person to access.He said that it is imperative for the nation to be au fait with the specifications of what a contractor is undertaking so that they can be able to properly monitor, and ensure value for money.Franklin drew reference to a request that he had made in Parliament as it relates to the specifications for a drying floor being built by the Ministry of Agriculture.He said that one could come up with a figure of how much it would cost but the Ministry could always say that the figure did not conform to the specifications which they had required.“The reason for the document was so that we could properly cost the project,” said Franklin.The MP insisted that the government, just as how they make available on the website the invitation for bids,
Wholesale China Jerseys, should also make available the specifications for each project.Leader of the Alliance for Change Raphael Trotman said that for the information to be so difficult to obtain is an insult to the people of the nation.He questioned why it is so difficult to access basic information, pointing to the need for the Freedom of Information legislation.Trotman posited that such secretive dealings of the government facilitates corruption to the highest level and has to be rooted out.He drew reference to the recent blunder by Junior Finance Minister Jenifer Webster who told the National Assembly that the One Laptop for A Family would cost $295, 000 each and the following day told the House that she made a mistake and it was US$295 instead.Trotman said that Webster is usually a well prepared person in her presentations in the office so it was obvious that she was not too clear on the project.He said that the government should not be reluctant in providing the nation with basic information when it was he who asked that the nation monitors projects being undertaken by the government.Former Minister of Health,
China Jerseys Wholesale, Dr Richard Van West Charles said that the government continues to persist with its cronyism and nepotism,
China Jerseys Cheap, especially when it comes to contracts, even though the international institutions have said that there should be a reform of the way contracts are awarded in Guyana.He said that the specifications for the various works to be undertaken by contractors should be made available so that members of the communities could have greater involvement in the monitoring process of projects.He said that if the current status quo continues to prevail as it relates to the secretive nature of contracts awarded, then there will continue to be corruption.Dr Van West Charles also suggested that there be more involvement in the actual execution of the project from person and around communities where the work is being executed.He cited as an example a recent project he saw being undertaken in the interior and all of the workers on the project were from the coast.The former Health Minister said when he asked why there were not more workers from the community employed on the project, he was told, “Y drop out of the f*#king alphabet.”He opined that there should be a contractual obligation that caters for contractors to employ persons from the communities when undertaking certain projects.
