THE inquiry conducted by the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) into the $632million purchase of pharmaceuticals for the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation earlier this year, which attracted public attention given the process used to source, has produced two reports. There is a minority report from one of the opposition PPP/C nominees, Commissioner Sukrishnalall Pasha, and while the entire content of this report is not fully known, what is known is that he recommended the involvement of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

This inquiry, while being conducted within a budding democracy, can be looked at within two contexts. One, an act of applying all the rudiments of the PPC’s process the country is expected to follow, and two, pandering to the divisive politics that have permeated the society over recent years, which continues to pose challenges to social cohesion, good governance and holistic development.

Irrespective of the Terms of Reference of the inquiry or what the minority report recommended, what is undisputed is that both reports have made known that the procurement rules were not followed in acquisition of the pharmaceuticals. The commonality of this finding not only confirms efforts to ensure the rules are adhered to by the PPC, but also suggests possibilities of forging consensus politics on issues pertaining to the State, the management of its business, and the welfare of citizens.

This could bode well for society and follow-through could negate allegations of corruption or finger-pointing.
At the PPC’s inquiry, Public Health Minister, Volda Lawrence, advised that she did not approve the purchase of the drugs and she reiterated these statements in an interview with this newspaper on Thursday in the face of Pasha seeking to pin blame on her.

It will be recalled that after the contract was awarded, there was a litany of statements, allegations and counter allegations as to the process, and who recommended and/or authorised the purchase.

This society is still reeling from and feeling the effects of the non-establishment of the PPC by the former administration. The PPC was established only last year, though the Act to give it effect was signed since 2004. The sore issues of awarding contracts to friends and families, by-passing laws and procedures, single-sourcing, wastage of taxpayers’ money, and allegations of other unethical practices still linger. The malpractices that flowed therefrom caused Guyana to be ranked the most corrupt English-speaking Caribbean country by Transparency International (TI).

In the 2017 TI Report, Guyana registered slight improvement on the Corruption Perception Index. Though this is noted, and the APNU+AFC Government is to be commended for taking steps in the right direction, it is not of major significance and says to the society that complacency cannot step in and vigilance must remain the watchword.  The missteps in the pharmaceuticals process, be they deliberate or not, have cast a shadow which must be removed for the good of the country.

Procurement has contributed to divisions in the society and retarded development. The appointment of the commission has gone a far way in offering some glimmer of hope that these would be stories of the past, rules and laws will be adhered to, a level playing field established and every group or individual will have a fair shot in bidding for and doing business for the State.

This view is shared by the APNU+AFC Government under whose stewardship the commission was established, and notably Minister Lawrence, a member of the Select Committee that saw the identification of the five-member PPC, on this achievement said, “All Guyana wants to see transparency, accountability and more so a level playing field in the tendering process.”