Barbados
Effective August 1, all state-owned enterprises in Barbados must transition to electric, hybrid or alternative fuel vehicles.
Minister in the Ministry of Finance Ryan Straughn was speaking in the House of Assembly on Tuesday, July 19, when he detailed the “fuel-cutting” measures that will take place amid rising fuel costs.
“As it relates to public procurement, Mr Speaker, entities falling under the government of Barbados will be required to update their internal vehicular and equipment policy to purchase battery electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles or alternate fuelled vehicles as it relates to passenger vehicles as priority purchases.
“Given the new availability of electric heavy-duty vehicles and heavy-duty equipment, effective August 1, 2022, all central government agencies and departments as well as all state-owned enterprises will be required to commence greening their heavy-duty vehicular and equipment fleet with any available electric models within that range as part of their routine procurement,” Minister Straughn announced.
`”Mr Speaker, we would rather have spent that extra money on fuel building more renewable energy capacity and advancing the electrification of both the passenger and commercial fleet in the country. Therefore, it would be counter-intuitive to incentivize consumption of diesel or gasoline hybrid vehicles that still require significant usage of fossil fuel in the same way we did for battery electric vehicles,” he continued.
The Finance Minister disclosed that Government was in the process of regularising the tariff structure for hybrid vehicles. He reported that from next month, the importation duties on plug-in hybrids will be reduced.
“I am now in a position to announce that effective August 1, 2022, the import duty applicable to plug-in hybrids will be set at 25 per cent whilst the rate of import duty for a regular hybrid vehicle will be 35 per cent, both down from the current tariff of 45 per cent applicable to vehicles fuelled by gasoline and diesel. This makes the policy more consistent with the 2030 goal of being fossil fuel free,” he added.
Straughn also proposed the excise tax on plug-in electric hybrid vehicles over 2000cc be reduced from 120 per cent to 80 per cent from August 1.
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Trinidad and Tobago
The Joint Consultative Council for the Construction Industry (JCC) is heartened that the prime minister has broken his long and loud silence on procurement legislation, as reported in Tuesday’s Express.
The JCC, and no doubt the rest of the public, is very confused, however, by Dr Rowley’s claim that he is disappointed in the delays, when he is the one ultimately responsible for the action that was, and still is, required by his Government to prepare the various Government agencies that spend public money.
Is Dr Rowley still surprised when only 70 public bodies of 415 have responded to the Office of the Procurement Regulator’s (OPR) Readiness Assessment carried out early in 2021 and reported to the Public Accounts Committee on January 11, 2022?
Can Dr Rowley explain why after seven years in the making he has not driven the process (that he is so passionate about) by leaning on his ministers to ensure that compliance with the legislation takes place at all levels of the ministries?
Instead, the prime minister has come crying to the public after all this time that “every time we attempt to proclaim these law elements, I should say that interested parties will point out pitfalls”. And he then goes on to state the obvious: “there always seems to be some problem because this is a very far-reaching piece of legislation”.
Of course, it is “far-reaching”, Mr Prime Minister. Hence the clarion call for procurement reform going on for 20 years now in a country that continues to drop in the Corruption Perceptions Index, as reported by Transparency International.
Dr Rowley’s true feelings about this legislation became clear when he stated “it has the potential to assist in corruption”.
He needs to clarify for the public what he means by this, as this bill was debated in both Houses of Parliament and passed after three sets of amendments. Now our PM does not believe that it is a “panacea for all things corrupt”.
The JCC is not aware of any persons or entities in this country who have articulated this latter view. Dr Rowley should clarify who are these “some people” to whom he has been quoted as casually referring.
The citizens of T&T have waited long enough for independent scrutiny of inefficient and corrupt public spending. In the current scenario, the Regulator has absolutely no power to act in the interest of the public, to investigate any ongoing or new procurement issue, while the various State agencies continue to squander public funds with sheltered impunity. The public, therefore, expects the PM to provide, instead, deadlines to his ministers and transparently report these deadlines to the public. We are simply fed up with obfuscation and excuses.
Our prime minister has been in a unique position for the last seven years to operationalise truly ground-breaking legislation that will catalyse a change in behaviour around public money—and this change will take many years, if not decades.
This process of societal change cannot start unless the law is operationalised. The effects of a less corrupt country will eventually benefit citizens directly, in terms of a reduction in the annual estimated loss to corruption of over $5 billion, and an increased value for money on public projects.
There is a more important positive impact, in terms of the potential to address white-collar crime that is surreptitiously connected to many other crimes. It is one of the best batons that we can pass to our children in these trying times. There is a Greek proverb that says, “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they will never sit in”.
The JCC again calls on the prime minister to please provide a deadline to his subordinates and operationalise the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property Act before the next budget is read.
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Guyana
The main sugar union, GAWU yesterday said that there is an urgent need to strengthen the management of GuySuCo.
In a press release, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) lambasted a two-page statement by GuySuCo in the last Sunday Stabroek which mainly dealt with the need for articulated tractors versus fixed-frame types. The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) said in the statement that a one-year experimentation had proved that articulated tractors were better for preparing beds for mechanical harvesting.
Dubbing the GuySuCo statement as intended to mislead, GAWU yesterday identified a number of areas where it remained at odds with the corporation in relation to tillage and the temporary abandonment of productive lands.
On the question of the articulated tractors, GAWU said that the Corporation omitted pertinent facts associated with GuySuCo’s Procurement Committee recommendations.
“We are aware that deliberations of the Corporation’s Procurement Committee remain confidential and, therefore, to disclose (the) content of those discussions which came to our hand would be unethical and improper. Nonetheless, we understand that the Committee, comprising several board members, extensively and intensively debated purchase of articulated tractors. These debates eventuated on a course of action that advised on purchase of a small quantity of tractors against a larger quantity recommended by the Executive Management. The Committee’s intent, from what we gather is to allow the type of tractors to be evaluated within Guyana’s context before making further decisions on purchase. It appears to us that the Procurement Committee was prudent in its decision-making”, the union said.
Tillage
GAWU said that the Corporation bemoaned inadequate tillage arising from the absence of a suitable fleet of tillage tractors. But GAWU said that the data supplied by GuySuCo seems to paint a different narrative. For instance, at Albion, the tillage tractor fleet was available 72.8% of the 46 available opportunity days during the 2021 second crop. However, the fleet was only utilized 37.1% of the time. GAWU said this shows that the fleet though available was not operable for substantial periods of time. Notwithstanding the operational deficit, GAWU said that the estate realised 78.4% of its tillage target.
“Had utilization been improved, it is fair to conclude that the tillage target could have been realised and surpassed”, GAWU asserted.
Looking at the data, from the other estates, GAWU said that the same yardstick could be utilized. “It then begs the question as to whether the adequacy of tillage tractors is really the sole issue for poor production”, the union said.
Turning to production levels, GAWU said that the Corporation lamented the impact of 2021 floods and failure of the gear at Uitvlugt Estate as the reasons for its 2022 first crop production – a historical low of just over 13,000 tonnes sugar.
GAWU said that in determining its production target, the Corporation would evaluate the quantity and quality of canes in each field it intends to harvest.
“Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that the many ‘sugar professionals and experts’ in the Corporation must have recognized the condition of fields and formulated an estimate that is realistic and attainable for 1st crop 2022. The reality is the targets set by the ‘sugar professionals and experts’ were not achieved. To compensate for the inaccurate estimate, the Corporation resorted to harvesting of immature canes slated for second crop 2022 harvest at Albion and Blairmont Estates”, GAWU declared.
In relation to the Uitvlugt Estate, GAWU said that GuySuCo personnel were well aware of the mill turbine gear condition and damage sustained in the latter part of 2021.
“The ‘sugar professionals and experts’ advised on welding repairs against procurement of a new gear to make the unit operable for first crop 2022. The nation is aware of the fiasco that ensued where the Estate had to abandon its first crop because the welded and locally fabricated gear failed. If a new gear was ordered when the damage was observed, the aborted first crop or at least part of it could have been salvaged”, GAWU argued.
Challenges
GAWU added that GuySuCo continues to highlight tillage as a major obstacle in improving production and that aged machines are unable to complete tasks. GAWU noted that according to the GuySuCo statement, the machines were “fully depreciated” and “aged 8 – 12 years”. GuySuCo further contended that the aged machines contributed to ratooned canes as old as 12 years. GAWU countered that despite the age of the machines average cane yield data was improving before a sudden precipitous decline emerged.
“The data, in our view, demonstrates that tillage is not the only challenge. But in our view more serious agronomic issues need to be addressed in addition to tillage”, GAWU declared.
The union said that it had also recently learnt that the industry has taken a decision to temporarily abandon lands which have canes higher than five years old. The union said it learnt that at Albion some 3,080 hectares equivalent to approximately one-third of the cultivation was abandoned. At Blairmont, it said a similar proportion was also set aside.
“It is said these major decisions affecting production and productivity were taken without the consent or knowledge of the Board of Directors. Such decisions have major implications for production and productivity, but it is unclear what factor/s informed the decision-making. With GuySuCo’s own admission on the problems associated with tillage, it will be interesting to know what plans the Company has to bring those abandoned lands back into the cultivation, failing which these estates will permanently have a significant amount of lands unavailable for cane cultivation”, the union said.
The union said it learnt that the decision to abandon cane fields came against the background of lower cane productivity.
“Again, the data we obtained does not support this contention. Data obtained for the recently concluded 2022 first crop indicated that fifth ratoon and older canes were yielding 34 tonnes cane per hectare (tch) while 4th ratoon canes are yielding 32 tch. With such yields, it is logical for anyone to question the rationale of abandonment. Additionally, we understand that the field abandonment programme has taken place in a haphazard manner. Usually when fields are abandoned, they are flooded. This assists in stemming the proliferation of weeds and grass as well as preventing an upsurge in rodents”, the union said.
It added that it recently learnt that estates are confronting a major upsurge in rodents which are known to inflict significant damage on young canes. The union said it has been informed by a source that the Corporation had to recently approve an emergency purchase of rodenticide to address the situation.
The union said it was heartened by the commitment of President Irfaan Ali who at the Enmore Martyrs observances pledged to work alongside GAWU and others to return the sugar industry to viability.
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Trinidad and Tobago
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said he is anxious to have the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property Act proclaimed, and he expressed disappointment at the delay in the full implementation of the law.
At a press conference yesterday, Rowley disagreed with the suggestion that the Government has an interest in not proclaiming the Act and is deliberately dragging its feet on the matter.
“For those who know what I’ve been doing as Prime Minister and my view on this matter, they will tell you that nothing is further from the truth,” he said.
“What has been happening is that everytime we attempt to proclaim these law elements, I should say interested parties and clients will point out pitfalls. And we come back to the Parliament and we adjust it. But there always seems to be some problem because this is a very far reaching piece of legislation, which could have serious consequences to the operations of the Government.
“Some people believe that it’s a panacea for all things corrupt. I don’t believe that. Many people don’t believe that. As a matter of fact, it has the potential to assist in corruption if you want to be corrupt. But the bottom line is that you will have legislation to deal with the corrupt action in the event that it takes place. And upfront, it has operations that should direct the state operations and private sector operations with the state away from corrupt action,” he said.
He said the “very last disappointment” the legislation experienced was that just as the Government was about to proclaim it, it happened to have been the time when the new attorney general came into office “completely separate and apart from this.”
“One of the first assignments I gave that Attorney General was to ensure that we are in a position to have this piece of legislation proclaimed, because we have come to the point where we think we have dotted as many T’s and crossed as many i’s. Out of that has come some significant comments, which call for caution with respect to the proclamation of the act as it is. For me, that is disappointing, but it cannot be disregarded,” Rowley said.
Four weeks ago, in a statement to Parliament, Attorney General Reginald Armour, SC said that more consultation needs to be done before the Act can be proclaimed based on communication he received from the Office of the Procurement Regulation (OPR) and the Judiciary.
Dr Rowley said, as a result there will be a delay.
“It would be irresponsible of me and the Government to disregard what has been identified by the Chief Justice and, of course, what is being also considered by the Office of the Regulator, notwithstanding how eager we are to have it proclaimed so that we can once and for all put this on the books.
“So there’s gonna be a little delay. But it is not because we want to delay it. It is because we want to respond to what has been identified as pitfalls with far reaching consequences. And as soon as the Attorney General is in a position to address those, he will inform the country and we will move with the reasonable haste to get it put on the books. That is where we are with procurement legislation.
“It’s a piece of new legislation, which is very complex, which we could proclaim it as is, but to do so knowing that there will be these problems pointed out to us by the offices, especially the office of the Chief justice is to find ourselves at a later date being accused of being irresponsible,” he said.
Rowley said he has been behind the Minister of Finance and the Attorney General to do the work to proclaim it, with “the legislation having been passed and amended and adjusted on numerous occasions.”
“I am anxious for this to be done, if only that it would not be said that the government is, in fact, benefiting from not having legislation like this in place. Some people believe that there is no procurement legislation. That is not true. There is procurement legislation. That is why you have a Central Tenders Board and other regulations in the Exchequer Act. What this legislation is, is new and expanded procurement legislation,” he said.
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British Virgin Islands
Minister of Works Kye Rymer has suggested that the new Procurement Act of 2021 altered the rules needed to execute community projects and has effectively slowed down the speed at which government is able to get work done in these communities.
Rymer was speaking at a community meeting focused on the “Framework for Implementation of the Recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry”. The meeting was held at the Stick–It in Long Look last evening.
Community residents had raised concerns about issues related to poor roads, derelict vehicles, and sewerage problems the community was facing, and the Minister of Works sought to alleviate their concerns.
He said: “Works are slow, but we had some issue with the contractor. We have a new Procurement Act where we must do things a bit different. We are in reforming of all the rules and regulations. That has fallen in with that, but we are making progress and we are hoping to have more done in the near future.”
“We are committed, the Premier is committed. This is his [constituency], especially his area along with the Minister for Health and you know we have committed to getting these works done,” Rymer assured.
The minister said some progress has been made and the government is hoping to get more work done soon.
“With the sidewalk painted and them putting up the signs, that should make it easier for enforcement to take place pertaining to the parking. We are aware that some contracts have been signed pertaining to the sewerage where we are working on the lateral. We have also seen the main road where the manholes are dug up but what took place is that they were already installed but they were never sealed or bent. So, the contractor now is responsible for taking them out and making sure they are bent and properly done where it is completed so the sewerage can flow properly,” Rymer said.
“That work is ongoing, but we know we have some obstructions with the traffic flow and we continue to ask the motoring public for their patience in that regard. What I can say is that this area has been plagued with bad roads for a while and it is always the excuse of the sewerage and this and so forth. I know we stood here on this podium, I think it was in 2020, and this was sometimes in the heart of the pandemic where we were able to secure some funding to get the sewerage done. That has been slowly coming but we are committed to getting it done,” he added.
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