00:00Opposition Leader Penelope Beckles is raising concerns over proposed amendments to the Procurement Act,
00:06which she says would significantly reduce the powers of the Office of the Procurement Regulation.
00:13Beckles says under Clause 5, the OPR would lose several powers when acting on complaints or investigations,
00:19including the ability to suspend procurement proceedings, require a decision to be reconsidered,
00:25direct a re-evaluation or interfere with the award or performance of a contract.
00:31She wrote to Facebook saying, quote,
00:42She points to the OPR's intervention in April when it directed the HTC to hold the award of $3.4
00:50billion in public housing contracts
00:52while it reviewed the procurement process.
00:55Beckles is questioning, quote,
00:57Why is the government stripping the OPR of powers that have already been used to protect billions of dollars in
01:03public procurement?
01:04Why wasn't the population notified about this?
01:08And where was the Joint Select Committee in this process? End quote.
01:11The opposition leader also objects to proposed new exemptions covering areas including energy,
01:18national security, public-private partnership for public housing and state and emergency-related procurement.
01:24She says the bill would also give the minister authority to create additional exemptions by order saying, quote,
01:31The bill removes that independent OPR check. End quote.
01:35Beckles is also highlighting a proposal to increase the threshold for exempt procurement from $1 million to $2 million
01:43while revoking the simplified procurement regulations currently governing those purchases.
01:49She says this will give ministries and specified public bodies greater scope to procure outside the requirements of the Act.
01:57Beckles says, quote,
01:58So let the population understand clearly what is being proposed.
02:02More procurement outside the Act, fewer powers for the independent regulator,
02:07less protection for suppliers, and more discretion in the hands of ministers and public bodies. End quote.
02:13Beckles then broadened her criticism to the prime minister,
02:17accusing Kamala Passat-Visasa of adopting what she described as a politically vindictive posture.
02:23She also questioned the prime minister's recent comments concerning the PNM and her role as prime minister.
02:29Beckles said, quote,
02:30The prime minister's actions reflect more of a contemptuous, politically vindictive figure
02:35consumed by partisan warfare rather than responsibility of leading an entire nation. End quote.
02:42And Beckles says the prime minister's conduct is inconsistent with the slogan made during the election campaign.
02:48Adding, quote,
02:50And it is certainly not the love all Trinidad and Tobago was promised. End quote.
02:56Ravishi Tiwari, Rupnarein, TV6 News.
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