Wrap: Vulture politicians
Some days it’s easy to compare the government of the day to vulture capitalists who buy a company just to live high on the hog while they tear apart its assets and sell them off to the highest bidder, reaping obscene profits in the process.
Today is one of those days, thanks to two sets of documents we published. First the three contracts for medical supplies that the Cabinet approved in favour of New GPC during the week April 16 to 23 (look don’t talk about that no objection bullshit) for US$12.7M or G$2.4B.
The first two contracts were previously reported in the press and amount to $6.02M for supplies to the public hospital although Luncheon had refused to say who was awarded the contract. This was confirmed today. Then the next week New GPC won another contract to supply US$6.74M of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies to the Ministry of Health.
Note well!! This was agreed to, and monies transferred out of the Treasury and into the coffers of New GPC, even though there is no budget in place and the country is now way past the constitutional date (90 days into the year) when estimates are to be approved. Article 220 states that the Finance Minister can only make withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund for “the purpose of meeting expenditure to carry on the services of the government”. In 2013 the GPHC spent $1.6B in drugs of which $1.1B was purchased from New GPC. So they have already agreed to pay New GPC more than they spent for the whole of 2013 without any budget being approved.
The government’s rhetoric in the past few months has been one of strained exuberance that they will return to office “the the biggest majority ever” but they are behaving like passengers on the Titanic. We still believe that the election was delayed simply so the US$58M Marriott monstrosity could be opened. In the meantime they have signed the multi-million ICT project over to a private contractor for 25 years in return for him just having to rebury a cable all the way to Lethem; and they handed out these contracts to Bobby Ramroop. All in one month. The only good thing is that all these agreements are completely meaningless – null and void – since Dr Luncheon who signed them, resigned on March 16 according to the letter he sent to his lawyer.
One truly fears what one would uncover if the opposition wins on Monday including that an MP’s wifeMaria Nadir has had her GPL bill paid for by the Office of the President, and judging by the code in front of her name (GV20) she is just one of many others on that gravy train. But why should we be surprised after the medical expenses scandal, and the state resources paying for PPP/C candidates to fly first class to NY and Toronto? As Ramotar would say, vultures might be offended with the comparison.
