The Bahamas was yesterday urged to “tie together” all the initiatives it has undertaken to combat graft after it maintained its 30th spot in Transparency International’s corruption perceptions index.
Matt Aubry, the Organisation for Responsible Governance’s (ORG) executive director, told Tribune Business that while it was “good to know we’re not dropping” this nation can improve its ranking by “connecting all the pieces of the puzzle” underway in the bid to fight and reduce corruption.
The Bahamas, with a score of 64, just maintained its position in the top sixth of 180 countries ranked by Transparency International and finished just a few places below the US. However, Barbados – as the only Caribbean state ranked higher than this country – continued to improve its score and ranking, although The Bahamas finished ahead of the likes of Spain, Portugal, Israel, Qatar and Italy.
Mr Aubry, though, suggested to this newspaper that The Bahamas has the potential to join Barbados and improve its position in the Transparency International rankings by explaining to outside observers how initiatives such as the digitisation of government services; new procurement laws; the recently-debated Ombudsman Bill; and enactment of the Freedom of Information Act all link together to battle corruption.
“I still think the fact there’s no indication of momentum is based on us not connecting all the pieces we’ve put in place to have an impact,” he argued. ORG, at its anti-corruption conference last year, had put together a detailed framework to map all the work that is being done and areas where there is still room for improvement, with the Government, private sector and civil society all playing their part.
“There have been a number of indications of improvement,” Mr Aubry said, pointing also to the Government’s promises to reform the Public Disclosures Act and create and Integrity Commission. “All of these things have a day-to-day impact if we pursue them collectively,” he added.
“Showing how these things can work is key. We’ve heard before in The Bahamas that we work in silos and that’s not just true in government but every sector.” The ORG chief, though, asserted that there is significant value in reducing perceptions of corruption by improving this country’s ranking in the Transparency International index.
“It reduces the potential perception that still exists that there’s prevailing corruption here,” Mr Aubry told Tribune Business. “It still has a detrimental element in The Bahamas, it’s important that we work against that. Tying these initiatives together can bring benefits in terms of reputation and also opportunity.
“We have to be more explicit talking about them. There’s more to be done, but it shows we’re building a good foundation.” Mr Aubry acknowledged that ratings such as those of Transparency International are to be taken “with a grain of salt” given that it was uncertain where the information had been obtained from, who had been interviewed and what benchmarks were being employed.
Still, he added: “There’s an opportunity to grow and build our reputation. When we put these things together, the perception of corruption can be reduced and there’s important value in that. That benefits us all across the board.
Presenting The Bahamas as a place of integrity brings immediate value and opportunity by encouraging local businesses to invest, local community members to believe the system works, and building a lot of attention and positive information related to external investors so they feel this is a place where they can come and build best practices rather than a place where you succeed if they don’t pay attention to what you do.”
APNU+AFC MP, David Patterson on Monday grilled Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira on whether the public was getting value for money from expenditure on the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) which he has frequently accused of not doing its work.
The start of the consideration of estates for the 2024 budget saw a back-and-forth between Patterson and Teixeira with regard to the PPC’s current expenditure.
When given the chance after the Committee of Supply had been convened, Patterson raised concerns over the PPC’s budget allocation, noting a substantial increase. Patterson’s inquiry focused on the number of reports completed and published by the PPC since its re-establishment in 2022.
Teixeira stated that the PPC had completed four investigations in response to specific requests, with two reports published on their website. She detailed the staffing of the investigation unit, consisting of two investigators and five staff members in operations.
Patterson further questioned the use of external private consultants and pressed on the projected number of reports for 2024. To this, Teixeira stated that the projected reports were based on the requests received and highlighted factors such as document availability influencing their ability to meet the target.
The exchange also touched on the history of the PPC, challenges faced during its reestablishment, and the staffing levels. Patterson scrutinized the agency’s expenses, including salaries and benefits for the Chairman, Deputy Chairperson, and Commissioners. He further questioned the value for money, emphasizing the agency’s expenditure of $435 million over 18 months to produce only two reports. In response, Teixeira defended the PPC, emphasizing its role in anti-corruption efforts and oversight.
The discussions also covered various aspects, including the legal department and external consultations. In response to Patterson’s inquiry about the delay in report submissions, Teixeira said it was not a matter suitable for parliamentary discussion.
As the discussion progressed, Patterson’s questions seemed to rile Teixeira. On one such occasion, the MP asked about the operating units and whether they are currently functioning from within the Public Procurement building.
In response, Teixeira stated: “Mr. Speaker, I’m not sure what the honourable member is trying to get to. There’s one office that they have. He knows where the building is. It’s on New Garden Street. And that is the centre in the Office of the public procurement commission. And that’s where the staff is… where would they be elsewhere, as he tried to hint at something else. What is it? Don’t be conspiratorial, my dear friend, they have an office. They have started. Everybody goes to work. Everybody gets paid. Done the story”.
The exchange revealed a range of perspectives on the PPC’s performance, expenditures, and challenges encountered since its reestablishment.
Patterson has strongly criticised the PPC over what he sees as its inaction over the investigation into the award of a pump station contract to Tepui. He has said it did not meet the requirement for the award as it was formed in August 2022. One of Tepui’s principals also has privileged access to Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo. Since October last year, Patterson has been pressing the PPC to probe the matter. The PPC has written the procuring agency, the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority and the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) seeking information to enable an investigation but there has been no further word.
Patterson has also strongly criticised the PPC over its handling of a complaint by Akamai Inc over the award of a contract for line equipment.
Last month, Patterson’s party, the Alliance For Change (AFC) criticised the PPC, accusing it of abdicating its responsibility in probing the complaint by Akamai Inc and ignoring its powers as accorded by the Constitution of Guyana.
Responding to statement from the PPC criticising Patterson, the opposition party charged that the Pauline Chase-led Commission which was established in July 2022 was ineffective.
Patterson had accused the PPC of “whitewashing” the complaint by Akamai Inc in relation to the award of the line equipment contract. The PPC found that based on the information provided by NPTAB, Akamai had not been compliant with two requirements. The PPC made no attempt to interrogate the NPTAB or the evaluation committee that scutinised the bids and said that it currently did not have the legislation framework for this.
The AFC vehemently disagreed with this, pointing out that the previous PPC conducted investigations which entailed speaking to the NPTAB and the evaluation committees.
– despite serious complaint before procurement commission
Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha on Wednesday announced that works had started on January 30th on the Belle Vue Pump station controversially awarded to the company, Tepui despite the fact that serious complaints have been made about its ineligibility for the task.
The Sunday Stabroek on Friday visited the West Demerara location but saw no sign of works being conducted.
Mustapha made the announcement to the Committee of Supply last week Wednesday during the consideration of estimates on the 2024 budget for the Ministry of Agriculture. This was following requests for updates by APNU+AFC MP Ganesh Mahipaul, on the delayed pump stations.
Communications Officer at the Ministry of Agriculture, Janelle Cameron, when contacted on the project, stated that she would have to check with the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) for an update. She later referred the Sunday Stabroek to the Head of the NDIA, Lionel Wordsworth but up to press time there had been no word from him.
Works were originally slated to begin on June 27, 2023, after the $865 million Belle Vue pump station contract was awarded to the Tepui Group Inc.
This however, attracted the attention of APNU+AFC MPs Mahipaul and David Patterson, who argued that the contract awardee did not meet the standard evaluation criteria for bidders.
Patterson, who is the Shadow Minister of Public Works, told this newspaper on Wednesday that the Public Procurement Com-mission (PPC) which is tasked with investigating the controversial contract had held its statutory meeting on Thursday, January 11, but did not provide an update on the subject.
He posited that the Procurement Commission has been evading the subject for roughly the last six months.
The former minister asserted that his decision to take legal action against the commission for dereliction of responsibilities and inaction concerning this matter of public interest is “unwavering.”
The Alliance for Change member recapped that it has been six months since the Procurement Commission vowed a thorough probe of the controversial pump station contract, but to date, nothing has come out of that investigation.
At a press conference held by his party in January of this year, Patterson said that in 2023 the PPC investigated 102 matters which were similar to contracts being awarded but did not meet the required evaluation criteria.
Contextually, Patterson said, the PPC can very well conduct a thorough investigation into the matter but chooses not to do so since the disputed company is led by social media commentator, Mikhail Rodrigues who has privileged access to Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo.
Another Request for Proposal for a further 168 megawatts of renewable energy will be launched in the new financial year, which begins April 1.
This is in addition to the supply of up to 100 megawatts of electricity generation for which the Generation Procurement Entity invited tenders last September.
The disclosure was made by Governor General Sir Patrick Allen as he delivered the Throne Speech to open the 2024/25 Parliamentary Year in Gordon House today.
The governor general said the Government continues to develop policies that will contribute to reducing Jamaica’s energy intensity and carbon footprint, while advancing the adoption of new technologies.
The policy and guidelines for energy efficiency and conservation in public facilities, particularly for schools and hospitals, and the electric vehicle policy, were tabled in Parliament in June 2023.
Efforts to diversify energy sources for public passenger vehicles for the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) received a major boost with the acquisition of five battery electric buses, as well as 20 compressed natural gas (CNG)-fueled buses.
Increased focus will be placed on improved quality of service by telecommunications operators.
In addition, the Telecommunications (Quality of Service Standards) Rules, which establish the formal framework for the parameters and targets against which operators’ performance is measured, is to be published
A planned upgrade of the Saint Lucia Health Systems made possible through a USD9.86 million loan from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), financed by the European Investment Bank (EIB), will begin shortly following a launch in Saint Lucia today.
Nearly USD2 million will be utilised for purchasing critical medical equipment such as ventilators, x-ray machines, ultrasound devices, and dental, neonatal, and eye care equipment. The benefiting health facilities include La Ressource Wellness Centre, Castries Urban Centre, Dennery Hospital, Soufriere Hospital, Comfort Bay Home for Older Persons, St. Jude Hospital, Vieux-Fort Wellness Centre and Gros Islet Polyclinic.
Another USD3 million will be allocated for improvements at five healthcare facilities. Two facilities damaged by fire in recent years, the La Ressource Wellness Centre and the Soufriere Hospital, will be refurbished and rehabilitated, while the Comfort Bay Home for Older Persons, will be retrofitted and expanded. The Castries Urban Centre will be relocated and expanded, and a new annex will be added to the Dennery Hospital.
The financing will also facilitate capacity building for healthcare workers in key areas including Biomedical Equipment Technician Certification, rehabilitation and counselling, and risk communication. The remaining funds will support training for nurses in a range of specialties including intensive care, nephrology, neonatology, emergency care, geriatric care, oncology, and nursing administration, procuring supplies and pharmaceuticals as well as providing a range of training and capacity-building solutions for health care workers.
CDB’s Director of Project, Mrs Therese Turner-Jones said the investment would help to strategically position Saint Lucia to better respond to health crises. “These resources will strengthen the resilience of Saint Lucia and allow citizens and health institutions to better withstand unexpected challenges now and in the future,” Mrs. Turner-Jones said. The project financing was provided under the EIB Climate Action Line of Credit II – COVID-19 component. In total, three countries will benefit from the US$29.8 million agreement under which the EIB aims to bolster the region’s health systems in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic with concessional financing thanks to backing from the European Union (EU). Investing to strengthen healthcare around the world is one of the pillars of the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, in which the EIB is a key partner.
Ambassador Malgorzata Wasilewksa of the EU Delegation to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean States, the OECS and CARICOM/CARIFORUM, asserted, “The EU has been a key supporter of the health sector in Saint Lucia for many years. It is important to note that standalone projects such as the Owen King-EU Hospital are one of the ways we support Saint Lucia. Supporting the health system with appropriate and suitable levels of equipment and staff for service delivery is directly aligned with our global commitment to Universal Health Coverage.”
EIB Representative for Southern and Eastern Caribbean, Ms. Kristina Eisele, said, “The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated more than ever the importance of efficient and effective healthcare. At EIB Global we are glad to finance new medical equipment, refurbished buildings and specialist training in Saint Lucia, which will help to ensure people everywhere on the island receive the care they need.”
Saint Lucia’s Minister for Health, Wellness & Elderly Affairs, the Hon. Moses Jn. Baptiste said the government is committed to health care reform, “We believe that universal health coverage is achievable. We see that we must accelerate health care reform and we must be ready for the next pandemic, not if it comes but when it comes. All of these activities are very important, and I look forward to the implementation of these projects,” said Mr. Jn. Baptiste.
The EIB is financing similar projects in Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) scheduled to be launched later in February. The Grenada initiative will involve health infrastructural works while the efforts in SVG will include strengthening the medical supply chain.
