Deputy Chief Scribe for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), George Lawson has described as loose talk comments by the Minister of State in-charge of Public Procurement, Sarah Adwoa Safo on how the NDC plundered state resources through the use of sole-sourcing in procurement.
The Minister of State in-charge of Public Procurement, Hon. Sarah Adwoa Safo yesterday disclosed how the previous Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration plundered state resources through use of the sole-sourcing policy.
Speaking at a workshop organised by Public Procurement Authority (PPA) under the auspices of the Office of the President, for ministers and heads of state institutions to sensitize them on the country’s procurement laws, especially sole-sourcing, she noted that “the core reason for the promulgation of Act 663 was to sanitize the government procurement procedures, make it more transparent and less prone to corruption which hitherto had bedevilled the government procurement processes.”
Adwoa Safo said “we are aware of how the previous administration unjustifiably took advantage of sole sourcing, a method under the law to loot state money.”
But responding to this allegation on Okay FM’s 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, the Deputy General Secretary for the NDC wondered how sole-sourcing under the law can amount to looting as the Minister of State in-charge of Public Procurement claimed.
To him, he is tempted to believe that the NPP under former President Kufuor used sole-sourcing to loot state coffers, and cited the contract to construct the Flag Staff House as an example.
“They started the sole-sourcing with the various stadia in the country and so does it mean they looted our coffers? People should know how to speak because sole-sourcing doesn’t mean looting. If you use sole-sourcing, that doesn’t amount to looting if due process was followed,” he averred.
He argued that the Dome Kwabenya lawmaker is simply scoring needless political points.
“I don’t blame her for saying such a thing to score political points . . . they should rather focus on their promises; electricity bills, water bills and transport fares have gone up and they should focus on these than this ugly noise she is making. She shouldn’t say NDC looted state coffers through sole-sourcing. She should be circumspect and not use words that naively.”
“When did sole-sourcing start? They created it and passed that law. When they talk of abuse, who abused sole-sourcing more than them? Theirs were huge; what is she talking about? She shouldn’t talk loosely like that; this is a loose talk. Looting is stealing and if due process was followed, how do you consider sole-sourcing as looting?”
“If she used the word loot, it is a loose talk. If she has been given ‘job for the boys’ position, she should focus on it and not go about maligning us. It is the technocrats who are actually working and anybody can qualify to occupy ministerial position to implement political policies,” he opined.
“They have given her a procurement position and she is elated. If I were her, I won’t take that position, procurement for what?” he sneered.
Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com
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When doctors, teachers, lawyers, pastors etc were suffering under NDC and they complained, you insulted them and insisted that Gh is as good as heaven. The result is that they booted you out of power. Even when the NDC was clearly losing the elections, they lived in denial and insisted that they were in a "comfortable lead". Now you can insult all that you can, but when the law catches up with you nobody will advise you to disappear. The NDC is still bitter, angry and confused after the horrible defeat. The worst is yet to come for the NDC. TIME WILL TELL.....
This are the people who sent JM and this party the Ndc into opposition . They will not stick to the issues but to insult and 1ied .
I really sympathize with the Minister. I wonder if she and the Vice president have ever read the Public Procurement Act,2003 Act 663.There is nowhere in that Act where the words "sole sourcing" have been mentioned. Schedule B of the Act on Procurement Methods mentioned in paragraph(6) Single source procurement and selection and paragraph(10)also mentioned single source selection. There is a difference between sole sourcing and single sourcing. In sole sourcing, there is no alternative source of procuring the item because the item is either proprietary material,patented,copyrighted or unique item of antiquity for which there is no other source of supply. For example Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary can only be procured from Oxford University Press and nowhere else. For single sourcing, there are alternative sources of supply but for emergency,standardization,national security considerations, one particular supplier is selected. Act 663 actually frowns on Sole Sourcing since in procurement brand names are avoided and only specifications are mentioned. There cannot be any situation in which specifications are written and only one supplier worldwide can meet it.This is rare. That is why the Act never mentioned Sole Sourcing as procurement method. The Minister must get this right and stop consufissing herself and the public.
Was the bus branding not ***barred word*** of state coffers? Where on this earth can you spend 4 million dollars to brand buses? NDC is the only government that has been shamed to refund looted money.
Characters George Lawson made NDC lost the 2016 election.They will not change and still will loose 2020 elections. They do not have manners and respect for Ghanaian s. Just throw their weight about insulting everybody including clergy's
'Where ignorance is bliss it is folly to be wise" So this NDC man does not know how the Flagstaff house was built? Please learn to read about things you do not know to stop exposing yourself. Thank you Deputy General Secretary
You would lick the ground she walks on if she were your relative!! All you people know is to insult people and disrespect authority. Nkurasefo!!! Onyame ahu mo nyinaaa. You can throw dust in our eyes again. Roaming radio station to station just to insult people. What about what she said is false? Were not projects and contracts sole-sourced to Ibrahim and John Mahama's favorites.