Dear Editor,
FINALLY, some steam is escaping from the pressure cooker of corruption at City Hall. We are now beginning to get some details of just one outrageous act of financial mismanagement and that is the rental of a large quantity of portable toilets for a whopping $82,000 each per month.
It is just no wonder the folks there do not wish — and from last media reports — are vigorously resisting an audit of their records. One can only imagine what else is going on there, from hundreds of millions in contracts being awarded without tender and adherence to procurement procedures, to the hiring of many friends and relatives to senior positions at super salaries, to sole- sourcing goods without good reason, to spending extravagantly on trips out of town at resorts, foreign first-class travel and dinners and lunches at fancy restaurants and hotels. And the list goes on and on and on
But guess what? No one will be sanctioned for this lavish misuse of funds pitilessly extracted from the citizens of our capital city. All the council will do, is to make scapegoats of a few engineers, whilst the real culprits are laughing all the way to the bank. How is it possible that the council is paying $82,000 per month for a similar portable toilet that the ministries are paying $20,000 per month for? Is the toilet inside made of gold like Idi Amin’s? Was there a tender process for the giving out of this portable toilet contract, or was it another parking meter contract-like arrangement?
Whether gross corruption or simple economic foolhardiness, it is still very serious financial malfeasance and the culpable officials should be dealt with condignly. But of course not at City Hall. If fact, the perpetrators may be encouraged to continue renting these ‘gold’ toilets.
Regards
Modi Sankar