Procurement bill good for country
THE EDITOR: It was with utmost disgust that I witnessed the PNM trying to block the passage of the Public Procurement Bill once again on Friday in the House of Representatives. Planning Minister Dr Bhoendradatt Tewarie was asked by Colm Imbert if he would have been prepared to consider amendments to the bill. However, the minister replied that he would prefer not to because the bill had gone to a Join Select Committee before coming back to the House and had gone through an entire process.
It is blatantly clear that the Opposition PNM was never interested in public procurement legislation otherwise it would have brought one to Parliament decades ago. Upon taking office in 2010, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar brought this landmark legislation to Parliament, but the PNM made every attempt to block it. Thankfully the Opposition was not able to succeed in their endeavour.
Although the PNM supports maintaining the old system which will enable it to return to the bad old days of mega projects with the possibility of mega bribes, the PP Government is intent on fixing the system.
When the bill was published for public comment it was met with outright hostility and condemnation with calls for it to be scrapped. However, in the end, through consultation, Tewarie was able to take it through its various stages and win the unanimous approval in the Senate. Therefore, the PP Government and Tewarie were able to skillfully handle what was a matter of conflict and arrive at consensus involving all interest groups, including the Opposition. This shows the Government’s commitment to consultation and compromise and its skills in listening in order to arrive at solutions through consultation. This I must congratulate the Government for.
I am of the firm view that procurement legislation will go a long way in rooting out corruption in the public and private sectors. Such legislation will plug every loophole in the procurement process and impose hefty fines on anyone who attempts to breach the rules and circumvent the process.
Certainly, the legislation will limit talk about corruption, enhance business development, implement a system of free and fair trade practices, and place the responsibility and obligation on the State and its procurement entities to meet high standards and for private sector entities to meet their obligations in addition to keeping high standards.
Liam Payne
Diego Martin