Friday, 20 September 2013

Contractor General VS The PNP

So finally the long awaited reports of contractor general Dirk Harrison are finally out and both have been laid before parliament for consideration, the report  into the  Spaulding Market scandal  has concluded in no uncertain terms that Richard Azan, a government MP and Junior Minister acted in a most inappropriate and corrupt manner and even went as far as to recommend to the Director of Public Prosecutions that he be prosecuted for the offence, the report from the Office of the Contractor General (OCG) has described Azan as being involved  a deep web of conspiracy. And if that were not already bad enough a second report from the OCG with regards to the bids for the right to construct a major power  plant found that the Minister of Energy Philip Paulwell also acted in an inappropriate manner in order to allow an unauthorized bidder into the process well after the bidding time was over, the report from the OCG goes on to give details of meetings between the minister and said bidder giving them an unfair advantage in the entire process instead of following the rules that were originally set forth when the bid was first being announced.


Given the damning nature of these reports and the public outrage that ensued, one would have assumed that the government would at least be attempting some serious damage control in order to soothe tempers but instead the response of the administration has been anything but.  Speaking at the weekly Jamaica House press briefing Information Minister Senator Sandrea Falconer got herself into hot water with a couple journalist after refusing to say much on the issue, it later turned into an ugly spat and ended with the microphones of several journalist being cut so as to prevent them from badgering the minister who came with a prepared script which said very little on the matter and was not prepared to tolerate any questions on the matter regardless of it’s national significance.


                       
And if that was not bad enough, one should hear the response of Mr Paulwell who declared that he rejected the findings of the contractor general, the arrogant minister  went on to call the report as rubbish asserting  that the CG did not know what he was talking about in the first place claiming that he (Paulwell) will be proceeding as planned, in other words a report from Parliament’s oversight agency means very little to the minister because it did not fall in line with what he thinks it should be, this is nothing if not the most  blatant act of disrespect to the intelligence to the people of Jamaica.

                               

Similar sentiments were also echoed by Mr. Azan who claims that he had no regrets whatsoever about his part in the whole Spaulding Market fiasco claiming that those who now occupy the market are benefiting from what he did and that was politically corrupt then so be it. To be frank one can be tempted to sympathise with Azan given that his intention at the outset may have been noble, but that does not change the fact that he failed to follow procurement rules, he overstepped his boundaries as a junior minister and on top of all that he was actually collecting rent from the venders in the market which by right should have gone to the Clarendon Parish Council, if that is not the heights of corruption then I don’t know what is.

                         

This sort of arrogance has resonated with the People’s National Party ever since they first took back the reigns of power in 2012, they had often campaigned on the ground that the Labour Party was too arrogant and distant from the people, but in truth the response from these two individuals coupled with the lacked from response from everybody else in the government goes to show that the PNP is guilty of the very  thing the accuse the JLP of, who could forget the infamous statement of one PNP counselor back in April boldly congratulating Mr. Azan for his corrupt deeds and declaring that the Clarendon Parish council will be theirs indefinitely, that was beyond arrogant, delusions of grandeur would be a more appropriate term to define such utterances

The actions of both gentlemen has led to calls from all sectors of the society from them to resign or for the Prime Minister to relieve them of their post, the government is yet to respond to this. One can only hope that they will do the honourable thing and resign as is expected in such a system where accountability is key to wiping out corruption for good .

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