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Ramkarran declares PPP as most corrupt administration in “post Independence Guyana” as he backs Government in Specialty Hospital row

Ramkarran lashed out at the PPP for its criticism saying that "the failure of the Government in dealing promptly with these matters facilitates accusations of nepotism and corruption by the most corrupt administration in post Independence Guyana, which now holds office as the Opposition".

Ramkarran declares PPP as most corrupt administration in “post Independence Guyana” as he backs Government in Specialty Hospital row

Former Speaker of the National Assembly, Senior Counsel Ralph Ramkarran, who also served as an executive of the People’s Progressive Party for a number of years, is of the view that the APNU+AFC government needs to do more to defend itself against attacks from opposition PPP.

In his weekly “Conversation Tree” blog, Mr. Ramkarran joined in on the war of words between the government and the opposition over the government’s decision to restart the Speciality Hospital project through a Memorandum of Understanding with the Fedders Lloyd Company of India.

Fedders Lloyd had the second lowest bid when the contract for the hospital’s construction went to tender under the PPP government. The PPP administration handed the contract to the Surrendra company despite several warnings. It was later forced to fire Surrendra following several financial irregularities and alleged frauds.

Now the PPP is accusing the new government of corruption in wake of its decision to sign the MOU with Fedders Lloyd.

In his blog post, Mr. Ramkarran said the coalition government has not displayed any enthusiasm for an effective public relations system and capacity, which would have answered the criticisms that are being made about its decision to go ahead with the project,” in gloating and triumphant glee by the Opposition”.

Ramkarran lashed out at the PPP for its criticism saying that “the failure of the Government in dealing promptly with these matters facilitates accusations of nepotism and corruption by the most corrupt administration in post Independence Guyana, which now holds office as the Opposition”.

He said “while in government, every device was employed, every advantage given, every trick in the book used, to steer contracts to friends and to exclude legitimate, credible and successful bidders such as Fedders Lloyd. Shamelessly ignoring its clearly flawed award to the corrupt Surendra Engineering, the Opposition is now clutching at straws to build a narrative of nepotism and corruption on no evidence, which they hope to use down the road in deflecting attention from its own notorious deeds.”

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

Ramkarran said there is absolutely no reason why a new bidding process must be undertaken when the contract is ready to be awarded.

“If the value of the works already done is subtracted from the contract price, a new contract price is arrived at. The Government gets an advantage because the bid by Fedders Lloyd, the lowest at the time, is three years old. Prices have risen since then. A new bidding process is therefore to Guyana’s disadvantage”, he added.

The Senior Counsel further pointed out that “taking into consideration the fact that only two entities came close, the crooked friend of the then Government, Surendra Engineering, and Fedders Lloyd and the qualifications and reputation of Fedders Lloyd together with the further delay that a new bidding process would occasion, the Government made the right decision to sign the MOU with Fedders Lloyd and to proceed later without a new bidding process.”

“There is no rule or principle which dictates that for a new contract, a new bidding process has to be undertaken. The Government cannot take into account, but can certainly alert the public, that those who are now demanding a new bidding process tolerated for a decade or more the extraordinarily stringent pre-qualification conditions that ensured, contrary to Guyana’s interests, that only one entity was pre-qualified to supply drugs to the ministry of health. Those same folks who now cry foul presided over the giveaway of radio and TV licences worth billions without a bidding process”, he reminded.

On Saturday, Opposition Leader and Former President, Bharrat Jagdeo said the government should take the project back to public bidding, as he heaped criticism on the administration for signing the MOU with Fedders Lloyd.

The Ministry of Finance in a statement last evening said its decision to sign the MOU with Fedders Lloyd is consistent with the Procurement Act. The explanation is in response to growing criticism from the main opposition PPP and the Transparency group over the MOU, as they both expressed a desire for the reopening of the bidding process.

Finance Minister Winston Jordan signs MOU with Fedders Lloyd representative

Finance Minister Winston Jordan signs MOU with Fedders Lloyd representative

The Finance Ministry points to the Procurement Act Chapter 42:05, to justify its decision. That section of the Act states that “If the supplier or contractor whose tender has been accepted fails to sign a written contract, if required to do so, or fails to provide any required security for the performance of the contract, the appropriate board shall refer the matter to the Evaluation Committee to determine which of the remaining tenders is the second lowest evaluated tender based on the evaluation criteria outlined in the bid documents subject to its right, in accordance with section 40(1), to reject all remaining tenders.”

 

http://newssourcegy.com/news/r...cialty-hospital-row/

 

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Ramkaran talking fluff.  Let the auditors and courts prove the corruption.  All this talk is hot air like, as Drugb said, the Iraq WMD's.  He is just another political opportunist!

FM

Ramkarran says that the Coalition is violating the National Assembly’s Standing Orders. It states: “No member of the Assembly shall appear before the Assembly or any Committee thereof as Counsel or Solicitor for any party or in any capacity for which he is to receive a fee or reward.”

 

He is referring to the fact that Ramjattan is representing Fedders Lloyd.

Bibi Haniffa
Originally Posted by ksazma:

One can suffer serious whiplash trying to follow Ramkarran's opinion from one day to another. He has been all over the place and seem to move as the wind moves.

Ramkarran speaks with forked tongue. HE WAS PART OF THE MOST CORRUPTED ADMINISTRATION. Why is he being a hypocrite now?

FM
Originally Posted by skeldon_man:
Originally Posted by ksazma:

One can suffer serious whiplash trying to follow Ramkarran's opinion from one day to another. He has been all over the place and seem to move as the wind moves.

Ramkarran speaks with forked tongue. HE WAS PART OF THE MOST CORRUPTED ADMINISTRATION. Why is he being a hypocrite now?

he was kick out when he could not take it anymore the man get a conscience when u will get one 

FM
Originally Posted by warrior:
Originally Posted by skeldon_man:
Originally Posted by ksazma:

One can suffer serious whiplash trying to follow Ramkarran's opinion from one day to another. He has been all over the place and seem to move as the wind moves.

Ramkarran speaks with forked tongue. HE WAS PART OF THE MOST CORRUPTED ADMINISTRATION. Why is he being a hypocrite now?

he was kick out when he could not take get it anymore the man get a conscience when u will get one 

You bull calf dem need milk. Go drop your pants and let them suckle.

FM
Last edited by Former Member
Originally Posted by skeldon_man:
Originally Posted by warrior:
Originally Posted by skeldon_man:
Originally Posted by ksazma:

One can suffer serious whiplash trying to follow Ramkarran's opinion from one day to another. He has been all over the place and seem to move as the wind moves.

Ramkarran speaks with forked tongue. HE WAS PART OF THE MOST CORRUPTED ADMINISTRATION. Why is he being a hypocrite now?

he was kick out when he could not take get it anymore the man get a conscience when u will get one 

You bull calf dem need milk. Go drop your pants and let them suckle.

oh boy u getting there when u say u going to berbice 

FM

There is no doubt that the PPP were obscenely corrupt. The task is to restrain the hand of the present office holders. That will be difficult since we have no institutional tool to help us. They are our elected dictators as the PPP were. We have to be ever vigilant to restrain their hand because like the PPP, they are not saints.

FM
Originally Posted by skeldon_man:
Originally Posted by ksazma:

One can suffer serious whiplash trying to follow Ramkarran's opinion from one day to another. He has been all over the place and seem to move as the wind moves.

Ramkarran speaks with forked tongue. HE WAS PART OF THE MOST CORRUPTED ADMINISTRATION. Why is he being a hypocrite now?

Skelly, for your information, even while Ramkarran was a PPP member he raised the corruption issue within the party, then he wrote about it in the Mirror newspaper, then Rohee and Gail howled insults at him in Freedom House, then he tendered his resignation to PPP General Secretary Donald Ramotar. Ramkarran broke with the PPP over the corruption issue. That's not a secret.

FM
Originally Posted by Gilbakka:
Originally Posted by skeldon_man:
Originally Posted by ksazma:

One can suffer serious whiplash trying to follow Ramkarran's opinion from one day to another. He has been all over the place and seem to move as the wind moves.

Ramkarran speaks with forked tongue. HE WAS PART OF THE MOST CORRUPTED ADMINISTRATION. Why is he being a hypocrite now?

Skelly, for your information, even while Ramkarran was a PPP member he raised the corruption issue within the party, then he wrote about it in the Mirror newspaper, then Rohee and Gail howled insults at him in Freedom House, then he tendered his resignation to PPP General Secretary Donald Ramotar. Ramkarran broke with the PPP over the corruption issue. That's not a secret.

He is not credible when he writes about corruption. Let him tell us about the Mungru affair. 

Z
Originally Posted by Zed:
Originally Posted by Gilbakka:
Originally Posted by skeldon_man:
Originally Posted by ksazma:

One can suffer serious whiplash trying to follow Ramkarran's opinion from one day to another. He has been all over the place and seem to move as the wind moves.

Ramkarran speaks with forked tongue. HE WAS PART OF THE MOST CORRUPTED ADMINISTRATION. Why is he being a hypocrite now?

Skelly, for your information, even while Ramkarran was a PPP member he raised the corruption issue within the party, then he wrote about it in the Mirror newspaper, then Rohee and Gail howled insults at him in Freedom House, then he tendered his resignation to PPP General Secretary Donald Ramotar. Ramkarran broke with the PPP over the corruption issue. That's not a secret.

He is not credible when he writes about corruption. Let him tell us about the Mungru affair. 

According to this reasoning, Jagdeo should be excluded from commenting on corruption since he is the biggest tiefman in Guyana's history.

Mars

Fedders Lloyd MoU reeks of corruption – Gaskin, Jeffrey

– Finance Ministry says no contract awarded yet

BY DEVINA SAMAROO

 

On the heels of an intense public hue and cry over the secrecy and implementation of exorbitant ministerial salary

Dr Henry Jeffrey

Dr Henry Jeffrey

FM

Specialty Hospital…

 

MoU with Fedders-Lloyd above board -gov’t says

THE Ministry of Finance has cleared the air on the award of entering an agreement with Indian construction firm Fedders-Lloyd to build the Specialty Hospital, noting that procedurally, there is no impropriety in the method used by government in entering the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the company.

Minister of Finance Winston Jordan

Minister of Finance
Winston Jordan

The agreement was entered into with the intention of leading to an award should the conditions stipulated in the MoU be met by Fedders-Lloyd. According to the ministry in a statement, the decision to utilise the instrument of the MoU safeguards the procurement process and seeks to optimise the use of public funds, in this case a loan, in the most beneficial way.  At a press briefing yesterday, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo said: “There is no transparency,” in the recently signed MoU. Transparency International Guyana has also criticised the agreement.  But the ministry said the MoU for the review of works for the Specialty Hospital Project is consistent with the Procurement Act Chapter 42:05:
“If the supplier or contractor whose tender has been accepted fails to sign a written contract, if required to do so, or fails to provide any required security for the performance of the contract, the appropriate board shall refer the matter to the Evaluation Committee to determine which of the remaining tenders is the second lowest evaluated tender based on the evaluation criteria outlined in the bid documents, subject to its right, in accordance with section 40(1), to reject all remaining tenders,” the Act states.
Jagdeo also claimed that Fedders-Lloyd was disqualified during the bidding process. “I don’t want to justify anything… so have them release the document,” he said.  However, the Ministry of Finance noted that in the public bidding done for the Specialty Hospital under the PPP/C government, four tenders were received.  Two were deemed to be rejected, leaving the remaining two — Surrendra Engineering and Fedders-Lloyd Limited – in contention. In spite of the protestations of Fedders- Lloyd, the PPP/C government selected Surendra Engineering, leaving Fedders-Lloyd as the second and only other bidder for the project.
Surendra’s services were eventually terminated by the previous government.  The ministry explained that therefore, in accordance with Section 42(5) of the Procurement Act, the government can proceed to the second bidder. The Ministry of Finance did not award a contract to Fedders-Lloyd. The ministry merely entered into a MoU with the second and, indeed, the only other qualified bidder.
Jagdeo, a former President, contended that the project should have been re-tendered, and an assessment of the work done so far should be done by an independent firm and not Fedders- Lloyd.  But the ministry pointed out that the advantages of proceeding with the second highest and only qualified bidder, rather than going out for a new tender are many, including the fact that Fedders-Lloyd expressed in the MoU its intention to hold its prices expressed in its original bid made some four years ago. “In addition to being time consuming, a new tender will result, obviously, in price escalation due to inflation; Fedders-Lloyd intends to examine works already done by the previous contractor and to integrate those works within its proposed current design options, so as to lessen the burden of loss of funds already spent; Fedders-Lloyd intends to complete the designs and finalise the list of equipment (which was not completed by the previous contractor) to the satisfaction of the Ministry of Public Health; and Fedders-Lloyd intends to hold the overall cost of the project within the available balance of the Line of Credit from Exim Bank of India,” the ministry said.
The ministry noted that it is the intention that should the conditions in the MoU be satisfied by Fedders-Lloyd, then the Tender Board will be invited to make an award of contract to Fedders-Lloyd.

 

http://guyanachronicle.com/specialty-hospital/

Mars
Originally Posted by Mars:
Originally Posted by Zed:
Originally Posted by Gilbakka:
Originally Posted by skeldon_man:
Originally Posted by ksazma:

One can suffer serious whiplash trying to follow Ramkarran's opinion from one day to another. He has been all over the place and seem to move as the wind moves.

Ramkarran speaks with forked tongue. HE WAS PART OF THE MOST CORRUPTED ADMINISTRATION. Why is he being a hypocrite now?

Skelly, for your information, even while Ramkarran was a PPP member he raised the corruption issue within the party, then he wrote about it in the Mirror newspaper, then Rohee and Gail howled insults at him in Freedom House, then he tendered his resignation to PPP General Secretary Donald Ramotar. Ramkarran broke with the PPP over the corruption issue. That's not a secret.

He is not credible when he writes about corruption. Let him tell us about the Mungru affair. 

According to this reasoning, Jagdeo should be excluded from commenting on corruption since he is the biggest tiefman in Guyana's history.

A case of the pot calling the kettle black.

Z

The PPP regime is the most corrupt in the English Caribbean

December 31, 2014 | By | Filed Under Letters 

Dear Editor, The people and everyone in the government know that corruption is becoming more pervasive and embedded in the social and institutional fabric of the country. Notwithstanding the promise made during the 2011 election campaign by Mr. Ramotar to deal unequivocally with the problem wherever it reared its head, the impression we get is that the social disease continues to flourish unchecked. There is a national scramble by some in the regime to acquire quick wealth. In their desire to do so, they have compromised their principles. They award contracts to friends for kick-backs and this has resulted in a culture in the PPP that accepts corruption as the norm. The outcome is that every facet of the fabric of the country’s national life seems to be tattered by corrupt practices which has spread to every level of the government from Ministers right down to the clerks. Allegations of impropriety in public office are rife and a general sense of lawlessness prevails in the PPP regime. There are several questions that the President needs to answer urgently: Why has he broken his promise to the people to reduce corruption as he promised in the 2011 election campaign? Why does he continue to allow corruption to continue on a grand scale? Is it that he has been ordered by the Jagdeoites not to do anything about corruption? Although the media, especially Kaieteur News, have brought civil society into the maw of corruption more readily than was the case before, yet the President has failed to act. The media are indeed more inquisitorial, but corruption has become too blatant for the media to ignore. In their propaganda stunt, the leadership of the PPP has asserted that there is a great deal less corruption than what the media and the opposition claim exist. But they cannot fool the people with their distortions and untruths. Among the sharpest opposition critics of corrupt practices by the minority PPP regime are Khemraj Ramjattan and Moses Nagamootoo of the AFC—two former members of the PPP and Joe Harmon and Carl Greenidge of APNU. To quote Mr. Ramjattan: “The PPP Government is perceived as the most corrupt and immoral ever in the Caribbean.” The PPP cabal is perceived as corrupt, vulgar, reckless, and deceitful and primitive in thinking. Ministers lack integrity and decorum and while the promise by the minority PPP regime that all would rise (which was not genuinely intended), the reality is that only the corrupt gang at Freedom House is rising because they continue to use the state resources to enrich themselves while the poor and the working class are rapidly sinking. Loyalty to the PPP and the regime refusal to take legal action or disciplinary measures against alleged corrupt PPP officials are the main factors responsible for the widespread growth of the corruption phenomenon. By not having the Procurement Commission and other checks and balances in place have made it much easier for government officials to take bribes on a grand scale. Yet another silly propaganda the PPP has used to distort the truth and minimize its corrupt practices is the belief that there is no more corruption now than was evident when the PNC was in office and that supporters of the PNC and the PPP merely see each other’s behavior differently. But no propaganda can minimize the fact or stifle the truth that the PPP regime is corrupt to the hilt. Even supporters of the PPP have acknowledged that more corruption is taking place today than ever before and only a few in the ruling cabal are the principal beneficiaries of the state generated patronage. The widely held view among the people is that corruption is much worse now than it ever has been, and that the PPP cabal is taking full advantage of the state resources and other opportunities available as their entitlement. Asquith Rose and Harish Singh

Mitwah
Originally Posted by Mars:

Specialty Hospital…

 

MoU with Fedders-Lloyd above board -gov’t says

THE Ministry of Finance has cleared the air on the award of entering an agreement with Indian construction firm Fedders-Lloyd to build the Specialty Hospital, noting that procedurally, there is no impropriety in the method used by government in entering the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the company.

Minister of Finance Winston Jordan

Minister of Finance
Winston Jordan

The agreement was entered into with the intention of leading to an award should the conditions stipulated in the MoU be met by Fedders-Lloyd. According to the ministry in a statement, the decision to utilise the instrument of the MoU safeguards the procurement process and seeks to optimise the use of public funds, in this case a loan, in the most beneficial way.  At a press briefing yesterday, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo said: “There is no transparency,” in the recently signed MoU. Transparency International Guyana has also criticised the agreement.  But the ministry said the MoU for the review of works for the Specialty Hospital Project is consistent with the Procurement Act Chapter 42:05:
“If the supplier or contractor whose tender has been accepted fails to sign a written contract, if required to do so, or fails to provide any required security for the performance of the contract, the appropriate board shall refer the matter to the Evaluation Committee to determine which of the remaining tenders is the second lowest evaluated tender based on the evaluation criteria outlined in the bid documents, subject to its right, in accordance with section 40(1), to reject all remaining tenders,” the Act states.
Jagdeo also claimed that Fedders-Lloyd was disqualified during the bidding process. “I don’t want to justify anything… so have them release the document,” he said.  However, the Ministry of Finance noted that in the public bidding done for the Specialty Hospital under the PPP/C government, four tenders were received.  Two were deemed to be rejected, leaving the remaining two — Surrendra Engineering and Fedders-Lloyd Limited – in contention. In spite of the protestations of Fedders- Lloyd, the PPP/C government selected Surendra Engineering, leaving Fedders-Lloyd as the second and only other bidder for the project.
Surendra’s services were eventually terminated by the previous government.  The ministry explained that therefore, in accordance with Section 42(5) of the Procurement Act, the government can proceed to the second bidder. The Ministry of Finance did not award a contract to Fedders-Lloyd. The ministry merely entered into a MoU with the second and, indeed, the only other qualified bidder.
Jagdeo, a former President, contended that the project should have been re-tendered, and an assessment of the work done so far should be done by an independent firm and not Fedders- Lloyd.  But the ministry pointed out that the advantages of proceeding with the second highest and only qualified bidder, rather than going out for a new tender are many, including the fact that Fedders-Lloyd expressed in the MoU its intention to hold its prices expressed in its original bid made some four years ago. “In addition to being time consuming, a new tender will result, obviously, in price escalation due to inflation; Fedders-Lloyd intends to examine works already done by the previous contractor and to integrate those works within its proposed current design options, so as to lessen the burden of loss of funds already spent; Fedders-Lloyd intends to complete the designs and finalise the list of equipment (which was not completed by the previous contractor) to the satisfaction of the Ministry of Public Health; and Fedders-Lloyd intends to hold the overall cost of the project within the available balance of the Line of Credit from Exim Bank of India,” the ministry said.
The ministry noted that it is the intention that should the conditions in the MoU be satisfied by Fedders-Lloyd, then the Tender Board will be invited to make an award of contract to Fedders-Lloyd.

 

http://guyanachronicle.com/specialty-hospital/

Sounds reasonable.

FM
Originally Posted by baseman:

Ramkaran talking fluff.  Let the auditors and courts prove the corruption.  All this talk is hot air like, as Drugb said, the Iraq WMD's.  He is just another political opportunist!

Ramkarran was quite vocal against the PPP in the days when you were screaming that APNU would never win as it is a "40%" party.

 

He has way more integrity than you do and Guyana needs more people like him.  He speaks against BOTH the PPP, and APNU/AFC, when he sees fit.

FM

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