Dear Editor,
I wish to publicly commend Contractor General Dirk Harrison for the bold and unequivocal position he has taken in resisting the attempt by embattled energy minister, Phillip Paulwell, to compromise the integrity of the Office of the Contractor General (OCG) by asking him to make contact with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and, in effect, alter his opinion that the minister acted inappropriately by meddling in the bidding process for the construction of the 381MW energy plant.
In a desperate attempt to salvage the sordid EWI affair following the IDB's withdrawal from the process due to procedural flaws which are inconsistent with IDB procurement procedures, Minister Paulwell, based on public disclosure by the contractor general who was speaking at a lay magistrates' awards function in Clarendon this past Saturday, inappropriately and ill-advisedly attempted to bring influence to bear on the contractor general.
Harrison is deserving of public commendation and our unwavering support for his principled and decisive stance. In preserving national integrity and advancing the campaign for good governance in this country, all well-thinking Jamaicans should join in decrying the actions of Minister Paulwell.
This is especially important as we are living in a society where allegations of corruption are pervasive, and public cynicism, particularly against the nation's political leaders, is rampant.We must begin to send the right signals and, in so doing, demonstrate that corruption has no place in our society if we are to develop and prosper.
As Opposition spokesman, I have issued a statement decrying the minister's poor judgement and knack for over-reaching in relation to the expedient manner in which he acted by reversing the Government's Aggregate Spectrum Cap Policy of 2013, ostensibly as payback for advance payments for licences by the telecoms providers in helping the Government meet its primary surplus target for the fiscal year just ended. I find it quite shocking and most disturbing that within a mere 24 hours of issuing that statement, another egregious and reprehensible manifestation of over-reaching on the part of Minister Paulwell has surfaced.
He has an abiding penchant for expediency, and the Jamaican people should no longer entertain claims of youthful exuberance as an excuse for his errant conduct. Enterprise Jamaica, which is at this time grappling with high indebtedness and low levels of growth, simply cannot afford Phillip Paulwell. His ministerial bungling across different PNP administrations over the years have been costing us too much as a country; both in terms of our reputation and public finances.
It is indeed regrettable that the leadership of the People's National Party (PNP), in a display of contempt for decent, law-abiding, and patriotic Jamaicans, has come out expressing support for the embattled energy minister. The PNP must indicate whether it has the interest of the nation at heart.
Dr Andrew Wheatley, MP
Opposition Spokesman on ICTs, Digital Society Development and the Environment.
Jamaica cannot afford Paulwell's 'exuberance'
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I wish to publicly commend Contractor General Dirk Harrison for the bold and unequivocal position he has taken in resisting the attempt by embattled energy minister, Phillip Paulwell, to compromise the integrity of the Office of the Contractor General (OCG) by asking him to make contact with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and, in effect, alter his opinion that the minister acted inappropriately by meddling in the bidding process for the construction of the 381MW energy plant.
In a desperate attempt to salvage the sordid EWI affair following the IDB's withdrawal from the process due to procedural flaws which are inconsistent with IDB procurement procedures, Minister Paulwell, based on public disclosure by the contractor general who was speaking at a lay magistrates' awards function in Clarendon this past Saturday, inappropriately and ill-advisedly attempted to bring influence to bear on the contractor general.
Harrison is deserving of public commendation and our unwavering support for his principled and decisive stance. In preserving national integrity and advancing the campaign for good governance in this country, all well-thinking Jamaicans should join in decrying the actions of Minister Paulwell.
This is especially important as we are living in a society where allegations of corruption are pervasive, and public cynicism, particularly against the nation's political leaders, is rampant.We must begin to send the right signals and, in so doing, demonstrate that corruption has no place in our society if we are to develop and prosper.
As Opposition spokesman, I have issued a statement decrying the minister's poor judgement and knack for over-reaching in relation to the expedient manner in which he acted by reversing the Government's Aggregate Spectrum Cap Policy of 2013, ostensibly as payback for advance payments for licences by the telecoms providers in helping the Government meet its primary surplus target for the fiscal year just ended. I find it quite shocking and most disturbing that within a mere 24 hours of issuing that statement, another egregious and reprehensible manifestation of over-reaching on the part of Minister Paulwell has surfaced.
He has an abiding penchant for expediency, and the Jamaican people should no longer entertain claims of youthful exuberance as an excuse for his errant conduct. Enterprise Jamaica, which is at this time grappling with high indebtedness and low levels of growth, simply cannot afford Phillip Paulwell. His ministerial bungling across different PNP administrations over the years have been costing us too much as a country; both in terms of our reputation and public finances.
It is indeed regrettable that the leadership of the People's National Party (PNP), in a display of contempt for decent, law-abiding, and patriotic Jamaicans, has come out expressing support for the embattled energy minister. The PNP must indicate whether it has the interest of the nation at heart.
Dr Andrew Wheatley, MP
Opposition Spokesman on ICTs, Digital Society Development and the Environment.
Jamaica cannot afford Paulwell's 'exuberance'
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