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The PPP government is the servant of the people

Nov 27, 2013 Letters

Dear Editor:
As most Guyanese know, Government procurement is based on principles, Government Rules of Sourcing (where they apply to the National Tender Board as controlled by the Ministry of Finance), the supervisory role of the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) and good practice guidance.
Collectively these provide a broad framework that supports accountability, transparency, sound practice and successful procurement results.
Nowhere in that collection of procurement principles is there a role for the Cabinet of the PPP Government other than for the Minister of Finance to advise them of what procurement projects have followed the procurement law and what contracts are signed by the respective Permanent Secretaries. There is no law that stipulates that the PPP Cabinet must review the work of the National Tender Board, constitutionally that is the role of the Public Procurement Commission (NTB), a role that was hijacked by the PPP Cabinet for devious reasons.
There can be no more clarity than Section 212 of the Guyana Constitution which clearly states that the PPC is to “monitor public procurement and the procedures therefore in order to ensure that the procurement of goods, services and execution of works are conducted in a fair, equitable, transparent, competitive and cost effective manner according to law and such policy guidelines as may be determined by the National Assembly.”
The PPP is fully aware of this but they continue to bamboozle the people with their propaganda, distortions and untruths. Their actions are contemptuous to say the least. These power grabbers will stop at nothing, they want everything for themselves.
Thus the comments from Minister Nandlall that the AFC position on the role of the Cabinet in the awarding of public contracts is “incongruous and wrong both in principle and constitutionality” are an unfortunate disclosure from someone who was trained to know much better and speak the truth, but sadly that is not the case.
Not because one calls himself lawyer, means he/she has the right to twist the interpretation of the law to suit his end to the detriment of the people, common principle and common sense. We want Mr. Nandlall and his PPP cabal to know that this is no hearsay about the role of the PPC, it is the law.
The PPC role is firmly enshrined in the Constitution and not because the PPP says the constitutional functionality of the PPC cannot be obtained means that the PPC must not be established. The PPP is not Guyana and the earlier the minority PPP regime gets accustomed to that fact, the better it will be for the nation and the people.
The PPP ought to know that it was not given a mandate to dictate to the people but to govern democratically and in the interests of all and not just for a privileged few who are their friends and relatives.
We humbly advised the Minister of Legal Affairs to seriously take note that the AFC leader, Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan’s public pronouncement on the PPC is solidly grounded in constitutionality, in principle and facts that are indisputable and not hear say.
There is no room for PPP propaganda, distortions and untruths on this issue. But comprehension, honesty and integrity seem not be to be forte of the Minister who continues to fabricate rules to suit himself.
Since 2004, the PPP cabal has been peddling the gross untruth that they remain committed to the establishment of the PPC but a decade later there is still no PPPC. The law was established and passed in Parliament with the full support of the PPP to bring greater independence to the procurement process, but now that some greedy and corrupt ones in the regime realize their gravy train will be under the spot light, with independent voices interrogating the procurement deals in dispute, they have reneged on their promise.
Our humble advice to the leaders of the majority opposition, Mr. David Granger and Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan is if they fail to secure the full establishment of the PPC now, they will be harshly judged by the people, since the PPP is totally committed to castrating the PPC.
Dr. Asquith Rose and Harish S. Singh.

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