• Home
  • Announcements
  • Contact
  • Documents
  • Events
  • Gov’t Achievements
  • UNC Councillors
  • Home
  • News
    • Commentary
    • Letters
    • Press Releases
    • Speeches
    • Testimonies
  • About UNC
    • Political Leader
    • UNC Founder
    • UNC Natex
  • Gallery
    • Projects
    • Video Gallery
  • Links
  • Live Stream
  • Meet The Candidates
  • Youth Arm
  • UNC-PLAN2020
HEADLINES
PNM continues to ignore the crisis in the Energy Sector
MP Tancoo: Imbert’s Forex Mismanagement Causing Nightmare for Local Businesses
MP Tancoo: Is the NIB insolvent?
UNC Call for Fresh Election after PM Rowley Caught Lying about Vaccine
Kamla: Granny Luces was a hero and her legacy will forever run on in the history of our nation
Kamla: Deyalsingh must go now
The UNC Stands Firm in its Support for the Rule of Law
Lutchmedial: Conflict of Interest? Look in the mirror AG – and then look to your right
Evidence (Amendment) Bill Passed with Opposition Support
KAMLA: FARIS MUST STOP LYING

Kamla: Government attempting to Water Down Procurement Act

Posted On 02 Dec 2020
By : Admin

Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Kamla Persad-Bissessar, S.C., MP,

The Procurement Act was passed in December 2014 and partially proclaimed by my Government in July 2015.

The objects of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property Act 2015 were to promote:

(a) the principles of accountability, integrity, transparency and value for money;
(b) efficiency, fairness, equity and public confidence; and
(c) local industry development, sustainable procurement and sustainable development, in public procurement and the disposal of public property.

For the past 5 years, there has been no attempt by this Government to make any moves to operationalise this legislation. After repeated calls by the Opposition and civil society, this Government has failed to fully proclaim the legislation.

They intend to amend the legislation a third time on Friday. The government will move an amendment to the Procurement Act to extract the teeth out of the legislation, leaving it without any bite at curbing corruption.

This is the third attempt by this PNM Government to water-down the Procurement Legislation. The Government again misses an opportunity to bring to the Parliament the necessary Regulations required to operationalise the Act.

The Government intends to amend section 7 of the Procurement Act to remove from the scrutiny of the Act, the following services: legal, financial, accounting and auditing, medical services and any other service as the Minister may by Order determine, by negative resolution.

This PNM government now wants to remove these services and transactions from scrutiny not just of the Regulator, but of Parliament as well. What makes this more distasteful and unethical is that we passed this Act in 2014 with a special majority and this Government now proposes to defeat the very object and purpose of this Act by a simple majority vote.

I call on the Government to explain the reason for removing these services from being subject to the Procurement Act. The Minister must answer why legal services and medical services are exempt from the Act. Is it because there is a Minister of Government with an interest in a medical company?

Is the exemption for the provision of financial services as a result of a Minister of Government’s close ties to a relative that provides financial services to the Government?
The Prime Minister as Chairman of the Cabinet must explain the reason for this amendment.

The Procurement Regulator and his team have not yet been given a chance to oversee the procurement practices and disposal of public property, and they have already been rendered impotent by this Government’s proposed amendments.

The UNC oppose this boldfaced tactic by the Rowley regime to demoralise and destabilise our independent institutions and our very democracy.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • google-share
Previous Story

Opposition Leader Message on International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women

Next Story

Saddam: Young Must Apologize for Misleading the Parliament

News

Off

PNM continues to ignore the crisis in the Energy Sector

The Keith Rowley led government continues to act as though Trinidad and Tobago’s vital energy sector is in good shape, instead of the crisis
Posted On 27 Feb 2021
Off

MP Tancoo: Imbert’s Forex Mismanagement Causing Nightmare for Local Businesses

For the past 6 years accessing foreign exchange has been a nightmare for local businesses. This is despite the fact that the Central Bank sells
Posted On 25 Feb 2021
Off

MP Tancoo: Is the NIB insolvent?

This was the question MP Davendranath Tancoo posed to the Minister of Finance at the UNC’s virtual Monday Night Forum. According to MP Tancoo,
Posted On 23 Feb 2021
Off

UNC Call for Fresh Election after PM Rowley Caught Lying about Vaccine

Like the singer Shaggy, caught in flagrante delicto, Keith Rowley once again boldfacely declares, “It wasn’t me” and expects the country to
Posted On 23 Feb 2021
Off

Kamla: Granny Luces was a hero and her legacy will forever run on in the history of our nation

I would like to offer sincere condolences to the friends and family of national icon Lynette “Granny” Luces who has passed away
Posted On 18 Feb 2021

COMMENTARY

WATER SUPPLY A NATIONAL CRISIS

BY Ken Ali When large communities in central and south Trinidad are denied a water supply for weeks, while urban areas get a constant free flow,
Posted On 29 Apr 2019

Lying Keith Rowley and Sinanan can’t get their maths right

By Capil Bissoon Prime Minister Kei­th Row­ley was being dishonest and deliberately mislead the population by saying that the entire Curepe
Posted On 21 Feb 2019

Media Should be More Vigilant with Galleons Passage

By Capil Bissoon I refer to your story in yesterday’s edition of the Trinidad Express captioned “Has the work started” with regards to the
Posted On 10 Jun 2018

GAS AND GROWTH IN 2018

By Kevin Ramnarine For the last two decades, the Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) economy can best be described as a “gas based economy”. When
Posted On 20 Dec 2017

Speeches

Rowley’s Mad Power Grab in Tobago

My friends, we are seeing a government that is in freefall – in every single sector. Health, National Security, the business sector. And what
Posted On 16 Feb 2021

Presentation of UNC general election candidates 2020

T&T family! UNC family! It is my absolute pleasure to speak with you today, as we get ready for the sweeping victory that is to come on
Posted On 19 Jul 2020

Kamla: My vision is to build an intelligent nation

“ON THE BALLOT” UNC VIRTUAL MEETING (June 25, 2020) Introduction Good evening and thank you for joining us once again as we continue to set the
Posted On 26 Jun 2020

MNF – Kamla: There is hope

Introduction Good evening T&T! Good evening UNC family!  It is good to be back! 2020 we are ready to rumble! Are you ready? Even though it’s
Posted On 11 Mar 2020

Press Releases

UNC congratulates TTs Althea Alexis – Windsor on her election as a judge of the ICC

The UNC congratulates Ms. Althea Alexis-Windsor on her recent election as a judge of the ICC. Her CV and credentials are impeccable and most
Posted On 26 Dec 2020

Rowley Remains Confused: PNM Crashed Everything Long Before Covid

After the Prime Minister addressed the nation today from his home in Tobago, one would notice that the picture he has painted of his
Posted On 25 Oct 2020

UNC calls for clarification on new ‘shutdown’ army powers

The United National Congress has taken note of the new measures announced by the Government regarding a two week shutdown of the country’s
Posted On 27 Mar 2020

UNC calls for calm as T&T’s first Covid-19 case is confirmed

The United National Congress is calling for calm and urging citizens to follow the guidelines of public health officials in taking steps to
Posted On 13 Mar 2020

Letters

Keith Rowley has betrayed the sanctity of Parliament

Dear Editor, The revelation by the Commissioner of Police that the emails which Keith Rowley, then Opposition Leader read in our nations
Posted On 19 Jul 2019

T&T owes Kamla a debt of gratitude

Kamla Persad-Bissessar did what many were not expecting… she and her MPs voted unanimously with the Government to ensure passage of the Civil
Posted On 09 Apr 2019

Unity and Coalition are different things

Opposition Leader Kamla Persad Bissessar has faced some stinging criticism relative to her declaration at the UNC’s National Assembly that the
Posted On 01 Feb 2019

Three years of Rowley’s Rule

This is a particularly reflective time for Trinidad and Tobago having just observed our 56th year of Independence. This week, on September 7,
Posted On 03 Sep 2018
Copyright © - 2019 United National Congress
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.