Latest update April 24th, 2024 12:59 AM
May 05, 2019 News
Despite burning questions over the questionable procurement of exercise and textbooks to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars overseas, the Guyana National Printers Limited (GNPL) has remained mum on the issue.
A promised statement, to explain why there were no advertisement, was not forthcoming up to yesterday.
The La Penitence-headquartered operation has come under fire after a number of printers complained bitterly of losing out on hundreds of millions of dollars in work.
The printers had no problems with GNPL, as a state-owned company, doing the work.
However, for more than a year now, GNPL’s equipment has not been working.
It was discovered that someone approved the state-owned corporation to bypass local printers and go to Trinidad where exercise and textbooks were ordered.
The books are for the government-run schools across the country.
The bypassing of local printers would mean that GNPL breached local procurement procedures where suppliers are to be notified in the print media that the Ministry of Education wants the books.
Last week, the Ministry of Education made it clear that it had contracted the National Printers for text books and exercise books.
The ministry said it had no arrangements with any other suppliers or producers.
In other words, it appeared that GNPL took the decision on its own to sole-source from Trinidad.
GNPL’s General Manager, Trevor Bassoo, refused to comment last week on the sole-sourcing reports.
Rather, he said to expect a statement from the state-owned corporation.
The issue has brought other matters to light on how the entity is being run.
According to officials, the Board of Directors is chaired by a Ronald Alert, who lives in New York.
In fact, he appears to have been conducting the business of GNPL from where he lives.
Insiders said that for the past year, there were three board meetings.
Rather, instructions on board policies and even instructions for payments were reportedly made via the telephone.
There appears little scrutiny on the management, Kaieteur News was told.
The ministry itself last week made no mention of the exorbitant prices being paid and how it was able to
determine that GNPL provided value for money.
The coalition government has been insisting that it has zero tolerance for wastage of taxpayers’ dollars.
In fact, it was this argument that was used that saw the closure of four sugar estates in the country over the last four years.
Consecutive governments has been pouring billions of dollars into the
sugar industry with little to show.
GNPL’s recent operations would indicate it is heading in the same direction.
The corporation, which has a colorful history, has been around for 80 years.
However, a lack of resources and mismanagement over the years had seen it losing significant business.
In November 2016, President David Granger visited the La Penitence facilities of the state-owned Guyana National Printers Limited (GNPL).
Over the years, it had been critical in producing exercise and text books for distribution in schools; birth, death and marriage certificates, Official Gazettes and other parliamentary documents including the budget estimates, calendars, labels, other forms and cardboard boxes.
The President promised that he will assist in facilitating a cash injection to help reverse the losses.
Reportedly, $100M was plugged into the operations to upgrade and modernize the printery.
A used printing press was acquired from overseas and installed early last year but it has failed to deliver.
Since last year, GNPL has been engaging suppliers in Trinidad and Tobago to produce exercise books and textbooks.
Local printers are saying they have the capacity to print for way cheaper than what is being produced and shipped from Trinidad to Guyana.
The number of exercise books needed annually is said to be over 500,000.
The Audit Office of Guyana- the state auditors- have over the years raised troubling questions about the procurement of text and exercise books which amount to a significant portion of the Ministry of Education’s budget.
Auditors found a poorly managed system with shortages and other breaches.
In the last few months, it was reported that GNPL shipped in four containers of books from Trinidad.
Officials of the ministry yesterday said that it has issued a statement and GNPL now has to be engaged for explanations how it went about procurement those books from Trinidad.
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