By Nigel Williams
Amid the controversy surrounding the suitability of the recently acquired helicopter to fight crime, two political parties are concerned over what they say is the lack of accountability and transparency in the transaction.
Overseas-based Guyanese pilot, Mike Brassington who the government had said gave it sound advice on the purchasing of the choppers on Thursday distanced himself from any such deal.
Brassington said he had tried to assist the army in the acquisition of two choppers, but his choices were not accepted.
President Bharrat Jagdeo following the Lusignan and Bartica massacres had announced that the administration was procuring two choppers to aid in the crime fight. He said then that officials of the army air corps and other personnel were sent to the US to conduct the transaction.
In an interview with this newspaper, PNCR lead spokesman on economics and finance, Winston Murray said that he had been following the matter closely with a view to finding out what methodology was used to purchase the choppers. Murray said it is understood that there was an emergency in the wake of the Lusignan and Bartica massacres which claimed the lives of 23 people and with the government trying to demonstrate to the people of Guyana that it was caring, the procurement of the machines was done with haste.
However, Murray said not withstanding the urgency of the situation the administration should have ensured that it got value for money. “The public needs to know what are the procedures that were followed for the acquisition of the helicopters,” Murray, a former chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament said.
Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon had told this newspaper that the two choppers have cost the government over US$1.5M. The advertised price for the chopper which was bought from a Puerto Rican company and which flew into this country last week was US$595,000. The 1980-manufactured Bell 206 chopper is said to have chalked up over 10,000 flying hours. Not much is known about the other machine which is expected here this week from Texas.
Murray asserted that despite the circumstances under which the choppers were bought this should not have prevented the government from seeking quotations from various sources before determining what the best machines to buy were.
Commenting on the suitability of the machines to fight crime, Murray said that the helicopters ought to be equipped not only to do surveillance work, but also to be able to rush troops in conflict situations and also perform medical evacuations. He said Guyana was a poor country and to have two helicopters that cannot perform multi-faceted tasks was a waste of taxpayers’ dollars. At a press conference on Saturday, the army said it was “extremely comfortable” with the helicopter purchases.
“The government should immediately provide a full public account of the transaction to satisfy transparency and accountability and should not be silent to the criticisms in the press,” Murray declared.
Alliance For Change Member of Parliament, Khemraj Ramjattan said that he was happy that Brassington came forward to set the record straight on the deal, Ramjattan said Guyanese should not expect any action being taken by the administration which he said has not been firm with matters of this sort.
“While there was an emergency in getting the helicopters there was no emergency for the government to consult several sources before buying the helicopters,” Ramjattan declared. “They could have easily asked different sources and then go to the experts in the sector locally.”
Ramjattan further questioned what had become of the army’s Bell 412 helicopter which the National Assembly had approved $24M to repair earlier this year. “Where has that money gone to…we are not seeing the Bell 412 in the skies but the government went to the parliament and asked for money to repair it,” Ramjattan argued. Back in January the House approved $9.8B in supplementary spending over the 2007 budget $24M of which was for the repair of the Bell 412 chopper. The chopper was acquired under the PNC administration but it is currently sitting at the Tacama savannah under a tarpaulin shed. Parliamentarians had questioned at the time of the provision whether the government had considered buying a new helicopter but Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Jennifer Webster said that the government saw it as more economical to repair the helicopter. A senior government official told this newspaper last week if he had his way he would have disposed of the chopper. Webster said back then that a new model of the Bell 412 would cost the government US$10M.
Meanwhile, since Stabroek News’ first story on the suitability of the choppers to fight crime there have been numerous letters to this newspaper from aviators as well other citizens knowledgeable about helicopters.
Captain Miles Williams residing in Florida said he was happy that captain Gerry Gouveia who first criticized the machines brought the helicopter issue to the forefront. Williams argued that the government had wasted millions of dollars on this deal. “They have been clearly misled or not properly advised. This helicopter was sitting on the ground for almost 13 years before it was purchased,” Captain Williams.
On the question of the machines being equipped with infra-red lights, Williams said there was no such thing as an infrared searchlight, but rather a big flashlight lighting up the ground. He said this was very easy to hide from in the dark.
Mohamed Imtiaz Ally, saying that he knew a thing or two about helicopters said that US$75,000 ($150M) for a used, 20-year-old helicopter with 10,000 flying hours beats all. “What a scandal,” the man said.
