Pull all Govt. contracts from Strategic Action Security- GYSM
President Donald Ramotar’s purported intolerance for corruption is now being tested as the Guyana Youth and Student Movement (GYSM) demands that Government withdraws all State contracts awarded to Strategic Action Security Limited. This demand comes days after millions of dollars worth of suspected stolen items, including several laptops linked to Government’s One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) programme, were retrieved from the firm’s Queenstown office during a police raid. And, the owner of the security firm, Richard Kanhai, was taken into police custody.
President Donald Ramotar
Over 100 of the OLPF laptops disappeared last August from the project’s Queenstown, Georgetown office. The police had been called in. To date, no one has been arrested and according to Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon, several staffers were subjected to lie-detector tests. The tests were inconclusive. According to Christopher Jones, Chairman of GYSM, and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)’s Member of Parliament, at a public meeting held at Stabroek Market, on Friday, this scenario would prove if indeed Ramotar is serious about stamping out corruption. He said that on different occasions Ramotar proclaimed his willingness to eliminate corruption if provided with evidence and this public discovery is enough for Government to stop doing business with the firm. In addition, this matter should be properly investigated to ascertain who were the other parties involved. This company and its directors should be blacklisted from bidding for Government projects, he added. Jones said that Strategic Action Security receives about 90 percent of state contracts to secure Government buildings, including schools and hospitals. “When we were reviewing 2013 estimates in the Committee of Supply it was observed by Members of Parliament that Strategic Action Security provides security for almost all Government buildings under every Ministry. This situation is not new this also happened under the Ninth Parliament, I am told,” Jones stated. The Member of Parliament emphasized that it is situation like this that justifies the urgent need for establishment of the Public Procurement Commission. He said with this vital Commission all speculations of favoured awarding of contracts would be put to rest. According to a source in the private security sector, the Guyana Association of Private Security Organization had refused the application of Kanhai to be part of the organization because the body was suspicious of his character. The source opined that an in-depth investigation of Strategic Action Security should be done, particularly by Guyana Revenue Authority since it is believed that the company is not in compliance with the tax system. The source has accused that Strategic Action Security has devised a scheme to obtain contracts with bidding the lowest. This technique has resulted in many private security firms looking elsewhere for business. However, some firms continue to get minimal contracts with Government entities, the source said. According to Leroy Brumell, Commissioner of Police, Kanhai has been released on bail. The police have an interest in Kanhai in relation to the OLPF laptops and several matters on the West Demerara. The man has to report to the police on Monday.