The level of secrecy surrounding the current renovation works of the flood-prone Ocean View International Hotel has not come as a surprise to many at all; in fact, the David Granger-led Administration has become known to operate in such manner where the basic principles of good governance are thrown out of the window or ignored.
It is usually after the media and other stakeholders put pressure and insist on accountability and transparency in utilising public funds that Government officials release bits of information in relation to details of what taxpayers’ monies are used for. This is unacceptable by any measure and is looked down upon in countries that are really serious about practising good governance, especially as it relates to spending public funds.
Since the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, the caretaker Government has been engaged in a massive project to renovate the Ocean View International Hotel at Liliendaal, into a COVID holding facility. Caretaker Finance Minister Winston Jordan has since revealed that the project will cost in excess of a whopping $1 billion to complete. This $1 billion price tag does not include the operational costs for the facility.
It should be noted that this bit of information was provided by Jordan weeks after the project had already started. The Government, for reasons unknown, has withheld crucial information in relation to the project contract, etc. Crucial questions remain unanswered. For example, what are the terms of the contract, if there is any in place at all, what obligations would the Government have going forward, will the Government be renting the facility once it is completed, how long will the contract be valid for and what happens after the pandemic subsides, which company was awarded the contract to renovate the facility, and was it done through transparent legal procedures and so on.
The idea of having adequate facilities in place to effectively respond to the COVID-19 pandemic is an excellent one, especially if there is a surge in positive cases being reported which would require enough hospital rooms to house patients. However, this is quite a hefty sum to be renovating a property, which, from all indications is owned by a private businessperson who had endorsed the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition for the 2015 elections.
At the end of the day, it is taxpayers who carry the burden of paying for such projects, hence the need to ensure the country gets maximum value for money. For example, would it have been better to utilise one of the State-owned buildings, instead of getting into a private arrangement; or did the Government consider utilising one or two hospitals and converting a section into a unit for COVID-19 patients. And what about the location of the Ocean View Hotel; which is well known to be a flood-prone area due to its close proximity to the seawall.
In addition to this most recent case, there were several other cases of the coalition’s involvement in projects which had raised eyebrows. It could be recalled that the Public Infrastructure Ministry (MPI) had awarded a contract for the feasibility study and design of the new Demerara River Bridge which was later found to have breached certain aspects of the Procurement Act.
Then Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira had written the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) asking it to investigate the selection and award of the $146 million contract after it was revealed, and later confirmed by then Minister David Patterson, that the project was sole-sourced to LievenseCSO.
Also, citizens were only made aware that two Government Ministers were benefitting from full scholarships being paid for by the State after questions were raised in the Parliament during consideration of the 2017 Budget estimates.
Then there was the controversial drug bond deal which saw then Public Health Minister Dr George Norton coming under severe pressure for advancing some $25 million to Larry Singh for the use of his building – Linden Holding Inc – for the storage of Government medicines. In justifying the request for the ‘emergency’ expenditure and the reasons for choosing the company selected, Norton made a number of statements in the National Assembly which were found to be inaccurate. After much public outrage, he apologised and was transferred to another ministry.
And if that were not enough, mere weeks after, the Minister who replaced Dr Norton, Volda Lawrence was forced to defend her ministry awarding a $605 million drug contract under highly questionable circumstances, to a foreign company. Again, only after huge public pressure, she attempted to defend what was clearly indefensible.
All of this happened with the Head of Government failing to act. A responsible Government not only talks about being accountable and transparent, its actions should prove that it is serious about ensuring accountability and good governance, which are the hallmarks of service.
