… Of interfering with airport tender process
THE Parliamentary Opposition has again hit out again at Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare for alleged meddling with the Central Tender Board (CTB) formal process over the airport contract.
This is in relation to the tender bids for the maintenance and cleaning services under the Ministry of Communication and Aviation.
In a statement yesterday, the Parliamentary Opposition Group said the Prime Minister Sogavare gave a directive to senior officials at the Ministry of Finance to halt the public tender bids from proceeding in March 2015.
The statement said, the Prime Minister’s political interference was also confirmed by top officials within the Finance Ministry.
However, PMO Press Secretary Deli Oso said, Opposition needs to provide names of officials in the Ministry of Finance and Treasury rather than based it on anonymous sources.
Ms Oso said, it is better an official response came from Ministry of Finance and PMO during official hours rather than on Sundays because they were not working.
She said, the PMO will issue an official statement today to respond on this allegation.
The Opposition Group said it understands the airport contracts are currently running on temporary basis which are renewable every month.
“This was one of the reviews the resigned and former Minister Commins Mewa has undertaken but was reshuffled by the Prime Minister and replaced by Peter Shanel because of fear his family business will lose out on the bidding process once it goes through.
“Since then, there is yet to be a policy in place, a set timeframe for this airport contract reviews to be undertaken by the Government,” the statement said.
The Opposition Group understands the Prime Minister and his wife are directors of EMS Enterprises, a family business that is currently doing cleaning services (grass cutting) at the Honiara Domestic Terminal on a fixed rate of $40,000 per month.
“As the head of Government, the Prime Minister should renounce his interests as per the airport contracts and allow the CTB to take place so that genuine cleaning firms can undergo the much needed facelift at our international and domestic airports,” the Opposition statement said.
“What transpired here is again pure ‘conflict of interest’ and an act of defiance by the Prime Minister. This is ruthless leadership and will have direct impact on equitable delivery of service,” the Group said.
The Parliamentary Opposition said it is concerned about such unethical leadership which raises a lot of questions on the Prime Minister who always preaches good governance and change.
Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Opposition has reiterated its call for the PM to own up and apologise to the people in this country for lying to the nation on the floor of Parliament regarding his vested interest on the airport contracts.
It said, the Prime Minister has deceived the nation by lying about the $18,000 his family business is receiving a month which was contradictory to documents from the Infrastructure Ministry which showed EMS has been receiving $40,000 per month and not $18,000.
By EDDIE OSIFELO
