By Jamber Press Contributor
‘The
search for a scapegoat is the easiest of all hunting expeditions’ - Dwight D Eisenhower.
Over the past 10 years or so, community leaders, members of the public and opposition parliamentarians have been calling on the Labor Administration to be accountable and transparent with respect to procurement and contracting of government projects. However, their concerns have fallen on deaf ears especially as it relates to awarding of government contracts. They have been handing out contracts and government funds without regards for established administrative protocols. Career public officers are typically bypassed when it is politically expedient, especially around times of election.
Under the ‘Public
Procurement and Contract Administration Act’, there are specific
procedures whereby government contracts are awarded. However, it is not always
convenient for the Labor Party Administration who has grown accustomed to being
in power and sees the Government as an extension of their daily lives. Accordingly,
the Ministers of Government have managed government funds as if dealing with
their own finances. This behavior has been extended to village councils,
community groups and all local authorities. The Labor Party Administration has
progressively infiltrated and manipulated many of these local governing
entities to suit their selfish political objectives.
Hence, it is interesting that within
the past week, there has been a new chorus emanating out of Roseau. First to
the wicket was the Minister of Social Services, Catherine Daniel, with a
complaint of “lack of Accountability with funds provided to village councils by government”.
This is indeed a legitimate concern in any use of government funds. However, as
many have noted, the problem was created by the Labor Party Administration who
have been handing out funds ‘willy-nilly’ to all and sundry over the past
several years. This was blatantly executed during the Soufriere By-elections in
2016. No complaints from Minister Daniel. In community after community (Wesley,
La Plaine, Laudat, Castle Bruce, Grand Fond) government funds and material
(including fertilizer) have been managed by unelected labor party operatives and
elected labor party parliamentarians, instead of public servants. So, why complain now. One point of note, it
effectively deflected from other pressing issues for the first half of the
week.
Next at bat, was Prime Minister
Skerrit who continued to display the unprofessional habit of inserting himself
into every aspect of governance. This week, he is Housing Minister as well as
Finance Minister (his portfolio) complaining of poor building, fraud (accusing
contractors of stealing from abandoned properties) and contractors not living
up to the commitment of their contracts. This from an individual who has been
notorious for directing No-bid contracts, a classic approach to manipulating government funds for political advantage. Indeed, No-bid
contracts may increase the cost of a project by up to 50%, but that has
never bothered him nor other members of his administration. With regards to the ‘housing revolution’ in Dominica, this
is one area where contracts have been handed out to individuals and companies
who may not necessarily possess the skills to see projects to completion. So why
complain now?
From an operational perspective, what
we have been seeing from Ms. Daniel and Mr. Skerrit is projection (blame shifting). The accuser
(in this case, a government minister), who has established a flawed system
that has led to abuse of public funds, is now accusing others (contractors and
Village Councilors) of misappropriation and breach of contract. In order words,
they are shifting the entire responsibility for their distasteful actions,
consequences and behavior onto others. This is a very powerful tool for improving
ones image, gaining respectability and avoiding responsibility. In this
specific circumstance, this strategy permits the Labor Party administration to
unleash their manipulative behavior on unsuspecting locals to gain political
advantage.
So far, in some circles, this stratagem
appears to be working. Interestingly, the Labor Administration targeted homes
carded for senior citizens so they appear as Benevolent Leaders trying to help their
people. Some in the public and
the Press have commended the Ministers for their stance. Do the Ministers
deserve this credit? Assigning credit to these individuals ignores the history and context of the conditions that
led to the problems. More importantly, if the ministers know of criminal
behavior against the state, they should notify the appropriate personnel within
the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). Instead, Mr Skerrit and Ms Daniels are
feigning outrage and anger, because they have no intention of changing behavior
that has been politically beneficial to them.
So, one has to ask, what is going on
in Grand Fond? Both comments were made in that constituency by two different
ministers. Mr. Skerrit also announced a $3 million grant for housing assistance
to Grand Fond during his comments. In
particular, Mr. Skerrit wanted a housing officer to oversee such works. What
about a housing officer to oversee housing assistance in the other
constituencies? If there is a problem in
Grand Fond with contractors then spell it out.
Or else, one can only conclude that this particular grant is nothing
more than a barefaced gesture to buy votes in a possible by-election. We have
seen this underhandedness before; in the run-up to Soufriere By-elections in
2016, millions of dollars of Government funds were squandered with no
accountability and no complaint from those very ministers.
The bottom line is the Labor
Administration has been violating the ‘Public
Procurement and Contract Administration Act’. They have not adhered to
the spirit of the Act where, it is stated that ‘Every procuring entity shall ensure that it receives the best value for
money spent on procurement and contracts…’ Dominicans and, in particular, the
Press need to be aware that in their quest to maintain their grip on power, the
current Labor Administration will exhaust all means necessary to achieve this
goal. This week’s display of fake outrage and blame shifting is another slat in
this strategy. The Press is responsible for accurately reporting news but
should be acutely aware when they are being manipulated by political figures to
achieve selfish objectives.
