Had there existed public procurement law the Prime Minister's stay at the Tunapuna home of contractor Ralph Gopaul will not be an issue. This is the opinion of contractor Emile Elias who yesterday called on the Government to enact public procurement laws to avoid such "disturbances." Elias said these laws would take procurement out of the hands of ministers and the Cabinet. He made the suggestion yesterday while speaking at a news conference held at his office, Long Circular Road, St James.
Elias said the controversy caused by the Prime Minister's friendship with Ralph Gopaul-whose company Gopaul and Company Ltd was being considered for a $40 million National Petroleum Marketing Company (NP) contract-could have been avoided if public procurement laws were in place.
Elias said public procurement laws would ensure everybody, whether a friend of a minister or not, would have equal access to Government contracts under the law. He called on the Government to encourage the leadership of the Joint Select Committee (JSC) to bring to Parliament the draft law submitted by the Joint Consultative Council for the Construction Industry (JCC) .
Elias said public procurement law would govern the process by which tenders were invited, adjudicated and awarded in a transparent manner. Pressed by the media as to whether he thought the Prime Minister should not have stayed at the Gopaul's residence, Elias said, he believed the Prime Minister did nothing wrong. On the issue of chairman of the Integrity Commission Eric St Cyr's expressing his opinion on the contract issue, Elias criticised St Cyr for his comments. Elias said, "I am calling on the President to either remove him or at the least issue him a stern warning and to instruct him to excuse himself from deliberations into the matter."