Dear Editor,
Reference is made to letter pointing out that corruption is widespread at Ministry of Agriculture (March 5). There is not only many scandals involving purchase and installation of pumps and construction of pump stations but in other contracts as well. Staff tell me the situation is much worse than described and enumerated by the writer. There is a lot nepotism and favoritism in awarding contracts. Contract rules are by-passed to avoid scrutiny.
As an illustration, staff tell me some thirteen companies are drawing money relating to the same job and much of it is for no show work. Money was paid but no or minimal work was done. The 13 companies are registered under various front names for the son of a high-ranking official.
The companies are contracted to do various tasks of what is supposed to be one job. Multiple contracts were given to one contractor with the 13 companies to complete job so as to avoid scrutiny at the central tender board which reviews contracts over $14 million. Contract sums for each job were kept below $14 million threshold so that they can be approved at the Ministerial tender board instead of the central board.
The son of the official, the real owner of the companies, has been benefiting from the use of equipment of NDIA and of the technical services of its engineers, from other resources, fuel, and supervisory staff and of the overall work. There is no independent oversight of quantity and or quality of works done. Money is being drawn under false pretense. It is fraud plain and simple.
In another case, an engineer who resides on the East Coast has been assigned to approve all works, be they mechanical, civil, or any other sort, done by a favoured contractor in Berbice that is a known case of nepotism. It seems that the engineer’s job is just to cook the books to approve payments. He approves bills, signing off on them facilitating tens of billions of dollars in payments over the last three years.
On constructing pump stations, the only pump station completed over last three years has been on West Coast and it was completed a year ago. It has not been commissioned because the powers that be don’t want to highlight the state of other pump stations that have been lagging behind.
Contracts for pump stations and for other works were not given to those most qualified and with the lowest bids. Thus, pump stations are incomplete as your paper previously highlighted. In fact in last round of awards, contracts were given to companies without the technical competence to do the work, without a track record, and not having the lowest bids. This is gross injustice in the awarding of contracts. And contractors are not unaware of the bias of awards of contracts based on religious backgrounds of the contractors. People everywhere is talking about it. I know for sure where the votes of my family and those other affected contractors will go in the next election.
The Ministry of Agriculture is wasting a lot of resources through corruption. The money could be better used for subsidies to farmers to reduce food prices that have been skyrocketing. A measurement of success of the Ministry of Agriculture can best be assessed with comparing some prices of imports and local produce.
Foreign foods are much cheaper than local products. When I went to Stabroek Market last Saturday, an imported apple was $150 for a large one and $100 for a small one. Compare that with local mangoes that were three for $1000. Imported tomatoes were $400 a pound while local tomato was $800. Ground provision was $350 a pound while imported potatoes was three pounds for $200. The same is true for other local produce that are much more expensive than imports.
Billions of dollars are going to the wrong place and for non-existent work rather than to farmers to produce more so as to lower prices.
There is no vision in the Ministry to take the country forward. Money is being frittered away. Infrastructure work is poorly done or lagging. The Ministry is fueling fears of the dreaded Dutch disease.
The President or VP must intervene in this sorry situation for the sake of the party if not the country.
Yours truly,
Chandradat Sharma
