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#BTEditorial – Of memory lapses, contracts and transparency

by Barbados Today
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It must be a most wonderful thing to be a politician in power in Barbados. Political polarisation is so entrenched in our society that players in the political game can smoothly vilify their opponents on contrived grounds of principle, only to indulge in that which they repudiated when they are seated more favourably in the corridors of power. And as products of society, our politicians are keenly aware of what they can get away with and how easily they can play citizens like pliant musical instruments.

But unfortunately for politicians, there are still many apolitical souls who are not inclined to gawk in the face of political babble and recognise when their intelligence is being insulted. One merely has to compare the self-serving utterances of politicians while in Opposition with their actions in Government, to appreciate just what they think about the people they supposedly serve.

Evidence of this was demonstrated in the House of Assembly Tuesday during hearings on Government’s Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the 2021-2022 financial year, especially as it related to the public sector project known as HOPE and the awarding of construction contracts. During his contribution to the proceedings, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Housing, Lands and Maintenance Timothy Maynard indicated that the firm Preconco was among those awarded construction contracts in accordance with Rule 239 [Financial Management And Audit (Financial) Rules 2011].

He had this to say: “I don’t think I have ever broken a single financial rule; I don’t think I will do so in the future. Preconco was approved in accordance with the same Rule 239. As a matter of interest, there are several projects in the pipeline. . . where in the interest of speed and in the interest of survival of the country, we have to move quickly and so Rule 239 will be sought for the Cabinet to approve matters via that process.”

That Rule 239 of which Mr Maynard spoke deals with Government’s ability to award contracts for capital projects without going through a tendering process. The relevant law states that the “Cabinet may authorise services or supplies to be procured in a manner other than by invitation to tender where it is of the view that the required services or supplies are (a) of a specialised nature; (b) not normally available in Barbados; and (c) required as a matter of urgency. The legislation also indicates that Cabinet may direct that the supplies or services be procured through “direct negotiations in accordance with arrangements as the Cabinet directs.”

Of course, we have no issue with the letter of the law and Government’s application of it at a time when getting projects off the ground, literally, and stimulating the economy are highly desirable. But, for those whose memories have not faded, Tuesday’s parliamentary contributions rekindled recollections of a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) hearing into the National Housing Corporation fewer than ten years ago when the now Government was the Opposition.

Ironically, it was once again surrounding the awarding of contracts to Preconco to build housing units at the Grotto and elsewhere for the cash-strapped Government of the day. The then Freundel Stuart administration also employed the same Rule 239 of the Financial Management And Audit (Financial) Rules 2011 to award the contracts directly to Preconco. But that administration was taken to task for using that method, for lack of transparency, corruption and the like. The apparent reason now as it seemed to be then for circumventing a tendering process, is that Government’s financial situation lends to the arrangement where the building programme will be private sector-driven, and as is obvious, there is a need for urgent stimulation of the economy. What a difference, seating arrangements in an old building in Bridgetown can make!

The tour de force moment, though, came when the admirable St Andrew MP George Payne, in what surely must have been a tongue-in-cheek occasion, said his intense questioning of Mr Maynard about the awarding of construction contracts, was due to his desire to protect Minister of Housing and Lands Dr William Duguid from facing the same public scrutiny that the Barbados Labour Party placed on the last Democratic Labour Party administration on the matter of transparency.

Barbados has a democracy which has generally flourished and has served the country well. But it is flawed at a few levels. We will not deal with all of them now. But it is incumbent on an enlightened population to demand answers from their political leaders and not to be easily swayed by public circuses that create a whiff of transparency but in essence could actually pass for a filler in between episodes of Game of Thrones.

The business of awarding construction contracts, procurement contracts, road rehabilitation projects or any activity involving the spending of state funds, is the people’s concern, not the secret domain of any politician. But Barbadians allow politicians and their underlings to evade accountability. No politician should be allowed to utter the words “no comment” when questioned about the use of state funds or about the operations of a state enterprise fuelled by tax-payers money.

One misguided public official recently had the temerity to make the asinine comment when questioned about a matter at the Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (BADMC), that he does not speak to the media about BADMC matters. And he said it with the conviction of someone who perhaps thought that the corporation was a relative wearing a mask or a room affixed to his home and therefore he was entitled to remain silent. But that is the culture that Barbadians have allowed to fester. And we are all potential politicians.

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