From the Desk of Judith Pestaina – Party Leader
Having heard Prime Minister Skerrit’s lame attempt at trying to spin the garbage bin scandal in his Address to the Nation, Dominicans are left to wonder why is he of the view that we are a gullible people. Why is it that with so many other important economic and social issues facing the country that the Office of the Prime Minister seems to be embroiled in rubbish?
judith pestaina
The exposé given by the Prime Minister has made this more of a scandal and demonstrates that the ethical foundations of our country are quickly being lost and replaced with amorality, indifference and a latent acceptance of corrupt behaviour.
The plethora of excuses given by Prime Minister Skerrit in seeking to explain away this matter is grossly disrespectful to the intelligence of our people and shows clear evidence of an attempt to cover up blatant inconsistencies in the procurement of 2700 garbage bins which were clearly overpriced and of poor quality.
He has not explained why it is that Government paid US$102 for a garbage bin that only costs US$15. He has not explained why it is that it took Government until May 28 2009 to realise that the garbage bins did not have “wheels or secure covers”. He has not explained why it is that payment was made in advance of receipt of goods. He has not told the Dominican people how much tax payers money was paid for storage of bins on the port for that length of time.
In asking the Attorney General to review the matter to ensure that tenders are held in future transactions by Councils and Statutory Bodies, the Prime Minister has clearly disregarded or is ignorant of government procurement procedures which are already in place. Consequently, it is passing strange that Prime Minister Skerrit would seek to gloss over the irregularity of this acquisition, citing the fact that the purchase was NOT illegal as justification.
The Prime Minister has merely skirted the main issues which Dominicans want cleared by failing to respond to the following:
• How was contact established with Andre Dopwell and through whom?
• What, if any, business was conducted by Government with the individual in the past?
• Was it a coincidence that Mr Dopwell is the brother of the Minister of Trade and Diaspora Affairs who the Prime Minister said was not involved in this transaction?
• Why would the Ministry of Finance pay in advance a sum of more than ¾ million dollars to a company that is NOT registered in either the US or Dominica, or no other known country for that matter?
• Why did it take the Ministry of Finance so long to follow up on the short supply of bins?
It is clear that government procurement procedures were seriously breached in the purchase of the garbage bins. Yet Prime Minister Skerrit has sought to pass these off as mere mistakes by the Civil Servants concerned. Most modern Democracies would have sanctioned the Minister under whose Ministry such blatant mismanagement of our meagre tax dollars took place.
In Dominica however, we are fed with a diet of spin and an innate desire to remind Dominicans that past misdeeds somehow justify this kind of misconduct and lack of probity in public office.
As guardian of the National Purse, Prime Minister Skerrit cannot escape this blatant disregard and clear evidence of abuse exhibited in this Bin Bobol and must clear the air on those questions which still remain unanswered. This was not as some spin doctors have tried to describe it “an innocent mistake” or an “accounting error.”
We call on all Dominicans and all Freedomites who uphold and subscribe to the principles of the Dominica Freedom Party “People Before Power, People Before Politics, People Before Privilege and Things”, to condemn such abuse of public office and public trust.
We insist that an Independent Investigation be carried out to clear the air once and for all on this matter. Nothing less would suffice in this blatant case of the corrupt acquisition of Bins.
Read about the Gabbage Bin Scandal Here - Roosevelt Skerrit Gabbage Bin Scandal
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please respond to franks questions ….tony