Penn accused of ‘pulling down’ Sports Complex AC contractor
Opposition Leader Marlon Penn came in for considerable flack last evening from government ministers for his stance concerning the Multi-Purpose Sports Complex air conditioning installation contract.
Penn was also accused by a prominent businesswoman, who called into the Virgin Islands Party’s (VIP’s) Let’s Talk radio show, of ‘pulling down’ the successful bidder for the project.
The government signed a $786,000 contract with Quality Air Condition & Refrigeration for the procurement, installation and commissioning of the heat, ventilation and air condition system at the complex in December last year.
Since then, Penn has consistently questioned the government’s actions in selecting a contractor that he said bid more than $300,000 above the only other bidder for the contract.
The businesswoman, a hotelier and close associate of the governing VIP, said Penn allegedly ripped her godson on radio and suggested the contractor should not try to thrive or achieve such a contract.
“This is what we should be encouraging our young people to do, both male and female, and not to put limits on them that this is too high for you so you shouldn’t try to reach it,” the resident said.
According to the resident, Penn’s position was not a good lesson for the young people of the territory.
“This is the kind of encouragement that Honourable Marlon Penn hopes to give the young people of this country and then he is asking the same young people to support him as a leader,” she said.
“What if they said to him ‘no, no, no, no, you reached high enough, you can’t go no higher’? This is terrible.”
Meanwhile, Works Minister Kye Rhymer explained that, of the two bids submitted, one was for refurbishment of the existing AC system while the other was for a replacement of the entire system. He stated that the contract was awarded for the replacement and said this obviously meant there would be some disparity in the bid prices.
Earlier, Education Minister Dr Natalio Wheatley urged that Virgin Islanders shouldn’t descend into the proverbial gutter for the sake of politics and power.
“When you start to slander persons’ character, you cast aspersions on the leader of the country and of a qualified contractor that we all should be proud of, and teach us to be distrustful of each other. This is just exactly what the enemy wants, especially the enemy who wants to take over the BVI and take it away from us,” Dr Wheatley said.
Premier Andrew Fahie, who also waded into the discourse, said he welcomes any scrutiny of the government’s spending and welcomed any investigation regarding the contract.
The territory’s leader said the bids for the AC contract were done through a clear bidding process, independent of any political interference.
He urged Penn, the leader of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), to request the information and launch an investigation into the matter if he so desired. Fahie even offered to put funding into any investigation that might be called by the PAC.
“There are clear explanations from the technical people on this project that should have been done quite a while ago,” Premier Fahie added.
“Go and do your work and stop destroying local businesses with melee and mischief,” the Premier charged.
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He desperate for power but he not going anywhere
Stop it. It’s not desperate for power, but what Hon. Penn is doing is bringing information that we are not aware of to light. The hospital AC unit system did not cost this much, so why the Sports Complex is so high.
Let’s take people out of this and look at the matter on the table.
Penn thinks politics is about pulling down other people to get by. That is the work of the devil man. May God have mercy on him. He tryna run to the top is no different from the race to h**l.
So VIP can dish out their hard words but cannot take any? We know how Fahie would’ve behaved had the tables been turned so why all the hoopla?
There is a difference between hard words and pulling people down. The difference is one is satanic and the other is constructive criticism. You decide which one fits the leader of opposition and all other poppy shows.
You cannot have a transparent tender with contractors bidding on two separate sets of criteria for the same work.
Its either they both tendered to replace, repair or both, where one is an alternate. That is transparency.
But once again, professionals on this particular tendering ‘committee’ are silent, yet just waiting for the photo-op.
What was their awarding criteria? How did they compare the two bids? How do they know the replacement is value for money if they only got one bid?
Top to bottom, bottom to top….waste of time.
Exactly! Andy believe everyone stupid. I couldn’t say this better.
This extra 300 thou is for paying the speaker’s bill
Is the extra 300 for his house he is building right in West End? Why you think he is so busy pushing projects with the same contractor who is building his house. Andrew think we stupid. VIP must go.
Thousand of Israelites were praying when the Egyptians were chasing them, but yet ONLY Moses had the power to part the Red Sea.
And there is a plethora of other verses I can add here but for time.
One person and only one.
Indeed, silence was not inactivity !!!!!!!
Its becoming a little bit clearer now.
“The businesswoman, a hotelier and close associate of the governing VIP, said Penn allegedly ripped her godson”
That Woman is sinking the Ship. Look pon GREEDINESS! Tis long Time She wanted to have her Way.
Andrew fahie has destroyed the names of so many good people in this country with his untruths. He could talk? Look what is happening at the hospital now. You all better go try understand why he doing what he doing down there.
This guy is a huge disappointment. He showed his true colors when he got upset that the accused fraudsters punishment of whistler blowers were reversed and investigations into the potential misconduct were allowed to continue. He is like one of those parents that get more upset at the teacher when their children are punished for stealing and swearing.
Sound like p lake
Hon. Penn continue to hold them accountable.The only way wrong doing will prevail is if good men do nothing. Continue to shed light on whats happening. This is what the Opposition is for. Good work.Yes we want to see the contract so we can see how they arr spending our hard earned tax dollars.
Politics only serves to divide the people.
He is not pulling down anything he just say that is too much money
How come EVERYTHING that generates $$$ is under Andrew Fahie? No one else can add? 8 silent and 1 running a muck….
Penn is not pulling down any thing . He is just exposing to the public what the Government is doing and how they are spending public money . As a public judge and come to your conclusion
Stop misleading the people . The BVI is in a sad state when people believe telling the facts is pulling down . Then again. It is Nature Littke Secret
One term government