Introduction
Recently Minister Ashni Singh declared that the PPP will only implement the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) if cabinet gets an influence in the public procurement of goods and services. On the surface this may seem like a reasonable request to which the opposition should acquiesce. Here is the Minister of Finance on the issue of the PPC: “The government’s position on this matter is quite simple, that you cannot exclude the executive from any participation in a process that you may want to turn around and hold the executive responsible for” (SN Nov 8, 2013).
Obviously the minister is reflecting the philosophical position of the PPP which often involves controlling the public service, the private sector, and semi-autonomous agencies. However, there is another path that does not require getting fixated on control, yet allowing the elected government to
