Latest update March 28th, 2024 12:59 AM
Dec 10, 2016 News
Despite an apology by the Minister of Health, George Norton, for misleading the nation
on the Sussex Street drug storage bond deal, the controversy is seemingly becoming a rash that the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) coalition administration will not be getting rid of anytime soon.
Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, during the 2017 National Budget Debates yesterday turned up the heat on the administration, claiming that for one year, the bond will cost the public coffers close to $170M in rent.
This amount, he emphasised, is almost double the $88M that was allocated to the Capital Budget for Region Four (Demerara/Mahaica).
“You are spending twice as much on a bond to store some condoms than the entire Region Four Health Services Budget…What a shame,” Jagdeo asserted.
Jagdeo’s comment on the bond would come one day after an impromptu visit was conducted by several members of his party and a Government Minister.
According to media reports, Opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Anil Nandlall took the floor of the National Assembly to make his contribution to the 2017 Budget Debates where he claimed that there was “not one tablet’ stored at the premises and added that $14M was being spent to utilise the facility.
The MP’s presentation was interrupted following the activation of a Standing Order by the Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton, who interjected and requested that Nandlall withdraw his statement. Dr. Norton said that Nandlall’s statement was misleading and should be withdrawn. The Minister subsequently affirmed to the Speaker of the House, Dr. Barton Scotland, that there was ‘medication’ stored at the bond.
The Speaker decided to put an end to the dispute once and for all.
The Deputy Speaker accompanied Opposition Parliamentarian Irfaan Ali, Minister Volda Lawrence and a few other MPs to the bond where it was discovered that boxes of lubricants, a few boxes of umbilical cord clamps along with several pieces of equipment and empty refrigerators were in the facility.
Jagdeo lambasted the Government for attempting to pay $170M in rent for “a bottom house.”
“Mr. Speaker the monies will be put aside to pay for a facility that was single-sourced by the Government… that is now used to store condoms and lubricant and other things. This is the urgency we heard about?”
He went on to criticise the bond, by bringing into focus the Public Works Budget for Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne).
“That one investment is bigger than the entire Public Works Budget for a Region that has maybe a hundred thousand people. Is that good governance?” he asked.
Jagdeo posited that the entire education allocation for Region 10 (Upper Demerara/Upper Berbice) is $97M.
“We are spending more on Larry Singh’s bond than we’re spending for the entire education budget of Region 10. We are spending almost as much on this bond as the entire Capital budget for Region Eight. The Entire Capital Budget for Region Eight is $206M. Isn’t that shameful?”
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
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