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JCC fact-checks Faris on procurement law
Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi
President of the Joint Consultative Council for the Construction Industry Fazir Khan fact-checked the Attorney General and called for further clarification of aspects of the new procurement legislation in a release sent to the media on Wedensday.
The release was sent days after a press conference at the Attorney General’s office on St Vincent Street, Port of Spain where the AG explained parts of the legislation and called for public bodies to speak “facts,” as well as calling on media houses to do fact-checking whenever quoting public figures.
Khan first agreed with the AG that the Office of the Procurement Regulator still has oversight of the disposal of public property, but said contrary to the AG’s statement that government had aggressively pursued the implementation of the regulation, the former president had not appointed the regulator until 2018.
The Joint Consultative Council for the Construction Industry (JCC) has called on Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi to advise on specifically what is missing from the draft regulations so that the public can get a sense that the Government is actually aggressively pursuing operationalisation of the Office of Procurement Regulator (OPR).
JCC president Fazir Khan stated in a news release yesterday that civil society groups do not have a cadre of lawyers at their disposal, like the AG or the Finance Ministry, and would therefore welcome full disclosure at this time from the offices and officers who are responsible for all activities required for implementation and full proclamation.
AG on UNC threat of no parliamentary support: What’s new?
Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi AYANNA KINSALE
RESPONDING to threats on Sunday from the Opposition to not support any government until the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property Act is returned to its original form, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi simply shrugged and asked, “What’s new?”
“Senator (Wade) Mark’s track record will show that he says no to everything and has not supported the laws brought forward by the Government,” Al-Rawi said at a news conference on Monday.
He said it was par for the course for the Opposition to oppose any law that government presents, and cited the gaming bill and the anti-gang bill, which was first passed by a UNC government, as well as others.
Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi went on the offensive yesterday as he responded to critics of the Governmentâs handling of the Public Procurement Amendment Bill as well as to a call from the Opposition United National Congress to withdraw the recent amendments.
Speaking at a news conference at his Port of Spain office, the Attorney General also poured cold water over the Oppositionâs threat to not support any legislation if the Government does not bring back the original Public Procurement Act.
The Attorney General said: âWhatâs new? Senator Markâs track record would demonstrate that he says no to everything.They are not in the Parliament to support anything. And therefore the Government accepts that we will have no support from the UNC on anything.So itâs the same ole, same oleâ.