FORMER Region Six Regional Executive Officer (REO) Dr. Verasammy Ramayya has contended that there is ‘social and political cohesion’ against corruption in that region, and no one seems to be paying any serious attention to the problem.In a missive to the media, Dr. Ramayya, who has resigned twice from the Alliance For Change (AFC), said the region’s 2017 budget proposal is probably ‘the mother of all corruption’ in the region. The proposal, he alleges, had no input from himself, the regional chairman, the neighbourhood democratic councils, and other stakeholders.

“It was verified by the two DREOs [Deputy Regional Executive Officers] that it was done solely by the Regional Vice Chairman, Dennis Deoroop; and the Regional Engineer, Roopesh Singh,” Dr. Ramayya said, but some regional officials have disputed this claim.

Maintaining his position, the former REO said this is exactly how the costs of works are inflated, and works which do not need much resources are given priority so that the contractors will benefit and can give a big ‘kickback’ to the ‘boys’.

“Furthermore, there are many instances (wherein) some of the work projects in the 2017 Proposal are in excellent condition, having been done only recently. For instance: drainage canals at Gibraltar/Fyrish; roads at (Numbers) 52-74 NDC; a bridge at Wellington Park, etc. (These) will be easy ‘pickings’ for the contractors. Therefore, the Engineer and the Regional Vice Chairman, Mr. Dennis Deoroop, prepare the budget proposal and then they certify the works done,” Dr. Ramayya claimed.

According to Dr. Ramayya, he unsuccessfully tried to “stem the rape of the region’s resources” by capping the gas expenditure expense of the Regional Vice Chairman, who was reportedly using the region’s vehicle to do the political work of the PPP.

“He again moved a motion to quash that capping of the gas expenses, and received the support of APNU, AFC and PPP councillors,” the disgruntled former AFC member said.

He asked: “Why were the APNU and AFC councillors supporting the PPP?”
And added: “These councillors saw me as a threat when I began publicising the corruption taking place at the hospital, where major and costly works were treated as ‘emergencies’ and were not tendered, thereby benefiting the friends of a certain regional health official.”

According to the former AFC member, he was forced to expose the drugs’ shortage and the single sourcing of drugs and supplies at hospitals in the region, especially the New Amsterdam Hospital. The single sourcing, he said, was done without his knowledge, and the only time he knew about it was when vouchers were brought to him to sign.
This type of “skullduggery”, Dr. Ramayya said, enriches the pockets of regional officials; and because he spoke out, he became an immediate threat that must be “gotten rid of at all cost”.

He also pointed out that huge and costly amounts of dietary supplies were purchased on a regular basis, and it never seemed to reach patients suffering from shortage or poor quality of dietary items.

The magnitude of the corruption, Dr. Ramayya, a herbalist by profession, said, is just too much and too dirty. “…toilet paper is supplied at $2,500 per bale, and the same toilet paper is priced at $4,300 from the same supplier. The regional officials feel that I should never have done these things, and that I should just sit back and enjoy the ride.

“But that is not what I fought for all these years on my programme, ‘Issues of the People’. The consultation to do the electrical wiring of the New Amsterdam Hospital was another sole sourcing done to enrich the boys. One million dollars (were) paid for this ‘emergency’ work. Why was this not tendered out?” he asked.

“I had also exposed the cleaning of the septic tanks at the New Amsterdam Hospital, and the outrageous amount of (money) paid. This, again, is the product of sole-sourcing and cronyism by the regional health officials,” Dr. Ramayya stressed.