I am all about accountability in public spending. Our leadership should absolutely have to account for every public cent they spend and there should be a clear and actionable procedure for doing so. Especially given the way they seem to be withholding information from the Auditor General.

That said, it’s interesting when they seem to recognise that the existing procurement regulations are a hindrance (like, say, when it comes to hosting a summit) and when they don’t (like, say, when it comes to shifting blame regarding our crumbling infrastructure). When it’s about hosting CARICOM heads of government, the existing procurement legislation is “impractical” and requires an exemption. But when it comes to maintaining the infrastructure on which our nation depends, it’s “Under the public procurement law, proper procedures must be followed.”

Once again, I’m all for creating and following sound procurement legislation, but you can’t hide behind it when the issue at hand is how two ministries and assorted borough corporations can’t seem to work together to maintain our ageing infrastructure.

When you try to, you end up giving the impression that nobody knows what’s going on or why.

Speaking to Guardian Media at the site, Member of Parliament for Couva North Ravi Ratiram, Chaguanas Mayor Faaiq Mohammed and deputy Mayor Melissa Jadoonanan were critical of Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan yesterday.

Ratiram argued that the three bridges in the area were in dire need of repairs, adding that the Perseverance Road bridge was the latest addition to this list.

He attributed the issue to a lack of maintenance by the ministry.

“There has been a failure on the part of this administration to clean the watercourses all the way out to the sea. There is no smooth flow or swift run-off, which compromises the bridges,” Ratiram said.

[…]

However, Minister Sinanan said the bridge does not fall under his ministry.

“It’s easy for the MP and the mayor to try to gain political mileage from this situation. However, there is a process that needs to be followed. The Ministry of Works is on standby. Once a request comes from the Ministry of Local Government, we will provide whatever assistance is necessary,” Sinanan said.

He added, “The bridge falls under the Chaguanas Borough Corporation. The borough corporation should have been monitoring the situation for any challenges. The first call is for the borough corporation. If they cannot handle it, they are supposed to reach out to their line ministry. The line ministry will then contact the Ministry of Works if additional assistance is needed. We have not received any requests from the line ministry, which is the process that needs to be followed.”

[…]

Rural Development and Local Government Minister Faris Al-Rawi noted that no official request had been made to his ministry, and he could not recall seeing such a request.

“The mayor needs to ensure that proper requests are made. I can tell you that none of the corporations have fully utilised their Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP) funds. I have not yet checked, but they need to make a proper request,” he said.

The minister added, “The corporation needs to hold a meeting to assess their budget. They must determine, for example, if they have $10 and the bridge costs $12, whether they need additional assistance, or if they have $10, have spent $4, and the bridge costs $6, if they can manage it themselves. They need to complete their due diligence.”

He continued, “Under the public procurement law, proper procedures must be followed. They cannot simply make a statement without taking the necessary steps. In an emergency, there is a process for triggering a tender, and it must be documented. All of these requirements need to be fulfilled.”

Carrington, O. MP, mayor & ministers argue over collapsed bridge. 3rd August, 2024. Guardian.

They know very well what game they’re playing, though. When things get dire, they suddenly figure out how to handle it. Unless you happen to be in a rural community in Fyzabad, apparently.

Works Minister Rohan Sinanan told Guardian Media yesterday that his ministry has taken over the project in the wake of calls from numerous entities to repair the structure as quickly as possible.

“We are looking at the different options right now. The ministry has virtually taken it over, the Ministry of Works, we are hoping that by next week, we should have a solution,” Sinanan said, noting that the land under the bridge was still moving and a Bailey Bridge could not be installed or that too may collapse.

He added, “We have to do some groundwork first and then if required, we would put the Bailey (bridge). Right now, we are stabilising the bridge and within the next week, we should have the problem solved. We are looking at the different options to have it sorted out in the shortest possible time.”

Boodram, S. Works Ministry takes over Central bridge repair. 5th August, 2024. Guardian.

If only they could manage to do it proactively, for once.