Dear Editor,
This week we saw issues of transparency and accountability ascend to the forefront of the news cycle. Issues involving gifts received by public officials, and the sanctioning of errant infrastructural contractors, were the most glaring.
With the latter, we are seeing moves by the government to become serious and rigorous with the application of sanctions and penalties. However, the same cannot be said for public officers who desecrate the position and office that they hold. More robust legislation must be drafted, and adopted that unambiguously defines what acceptable conduct is, and when breaches occur what stringent penalties apply. As a nation poised for unprecedented economic growth and development, we must be uncompromising on this.
Another issue of great importance that needs addressing, and which was referenced in your January 21 edition (`Works Ministry PS tells PAC he wants delinquent contractors barred from future projects’), is the reconstituting of the Public Procurement Commission (PPC), whose life ended in October 2020. The PPC requires dynamic leadership with accountability and enforcement being the hallmark in the execution of its mandate.
Sincerely,
Clinton Urling
