REPORT: Ministry did not follow procedure to build wall
The wall around Elmore Stoutt High School.
The Office of the Auditor General has cited a number of “procedural issues and irregularities” in how the Myron Walwyn-led Ministry of Education executed the project to construct a 1,562-f00t long perimeter wall around Elmore Stoutt High School.
One major issue the auditor general highlighted in her report on the near-million dollar project was the fact that Walwyn’s ministry did not comply with government’s Public Finance Regulation.
The policy says, whenever construction works are to be conducted but there was no tendering process, government agencies are to obtain a list of pre-qualified contractors from the finance ministry.
“There was, however, no consultation with the Ministry of Finance’s Project Management Unit (or the Public Works Department) on the selection and eligibility of contractors,” the auditor general said in her report of the project, which had a cost overrun of more than $157,000.
The auditor general went on to report that “the contractors used [for the project] were selected by the Minister of Education”.
The report further noted a statement from the education ministry’s assistant secretary, who said “the contracts and work orders sections and amounts [for the wall project] were assigned to individuals based only on the instructions received from the minister”.
In a response made public this week, Walwyn said it is not common practice to go through the Public Works Department or the finance ministry for a list of contractors.
“Contractors are chosen based on previous work relations with the [education] ministry or at the sitting minister’s discretion,” Walwyn said.
The minister this week described the auditor general’s report as unbalanced and ‘lacking’.
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The auditor general went on to report that “the contractors used [for the project] were selected by the Minister of Education”.
You are a Lawyer bro not an engineer. Due diligence was not carried out here.
The head of public works need to be an seasoned engineer so he or she can be responsible for these type of projects.
This highlights the reason why we should consider another form of government. The leader of our country and the minister of finance abdicated his responsibilities to a fellow party member to circumvent our laws. If a wall were really necessary, did we really need to spend $1m to build it? Why did we pay someone $250,000 to supervise this project when it hasn’t been fully completed? This is another simple case of our elected leaders misspending our money. Wouldn’t you rather have better roads? Better schools? Better internet service? More reliable electricity? Water available everywhere?
We can’t govern ourselves. Our elected leaders have proven to be incompetent and some suspect them of taking bribes or kickbacks. As we learned this week, our court system seems to be compromised by delaying the prosecution of a Marine Police Official for a crime that he committed 7 years ago. Nothing works. Let’s consider of options.
Is this correct? Did Walwyn actually make the decision on how much each person received? Were those persons paid more than the value of their actual work? If so, this is documented corruption.
Why doesn’t the AG prosecute him? Why hasn’t the AG prosecuted Orlando for his role in this and the airline? If we can’t rely on the AG, who can we rely on?
You guys need to read. The overall figure mentioned in the report that was paid to the project manager was for the wall PLUS other projects, not the wall only. The report clearly said the PM payment for the wall project was around $40k. Stop messing up people’s name and businesses with falsehoods.
This one takes the Emmy! Contract splitting for v—- is b——–y full stop! Also, the project manager was paid $256,000 to manage a simple non-load bearing masonry wall on FLAT LAND!!! Elements are missing and are incomplete; yet forty (40) so-called contractors without the necessary documents were given work and paid on this project. Where were the controls the Minister likes to laud in place on this project? Too many violations and contraventions of rules and regulations contained within this pet project of the minister.
Now he’s attempting to assign b—– on his staff whom I suspect were only working from directives from the minister himself as he’s publicly stated. Nowhere within that wall do I see value for money or the true cost of what such wall actually is valued at. By all accounts PWD, MCW & MoF we’re deliberately and blatantly excluded from any knowledge or involvement with this particular project and that in of itself is very perturbing. Just as the steel frame building that was pancaked this project has just imploded due to the blatant disregard for basic public finances projects. What will be the outcome now the public have the truth? Does Doc have the testicular fortitude to admonish it go further and show real strength or will he let this slide (which I think he will) and bury it under the rug? We the public are intently watching to see what the recourse will be for violating laws of the land.
You need to READ! The project manager figure of $265K was for the wall AND other projects worked on in the Ministry. According to the information his payment on the wall was $40K+.
you have to have testicular fortitude to steal 7 million dollars from the public purse..
Some people become all knowing,jack of all trades and experienced once the get elected. Sad state this minister like others find himself in. There must be consequences for illegal activities in this little country when persons find themselves in this threshold.
hmmm…and he wants to be our next premier..
instead of excuses the minister should have acknowledged that he made a mistake and vowed to do better is that too much to ask from our elected officials
Would he this was no mistake….this was deliberate way to secure votes!
Not condoning anything or picking sides but I find it very intriguing that of all the projects undertaken in the last 10-15yrs that a wall costing just over $900K is getting so much attention while the million dollar overrun projects, many of which we haven’t seen any results haven’t seen the light of day? The perception is that there is a witch hunt for this particular Minister and it won’t stop until something sticks, I could be wrong but it sure seems this way.
there he goes again blaming somebody instead of taking the blame and saying he made a mistake. #draintheswamp
Who was the $256,000 project manager and how and why were they chosen?
steave austin
If nobody was investigated and went jail for those greenhouses then nobody should ever be going to jail.
As the wall seems to be the greatest of topics in this the election cycle or the hate up of the MoE it’ll be nice when you guys and girls call for the Audit Report on TTPP. A sorry for the MCW! Am kidding of course he will not lose a sweat over anything he omits or did!
It is said that “2 wrongs don’t make a right”. Just bcause someone go committed a wrong does not make it legal. What do you do? Remove the law from the books?. Perhaps the Green Houses could have been salvaged; but the minister and the Premier are clearly not gifted at fixing green houses and Economies. Maybe, just maybe, their calling is in the hospital healing and caring for the sick. Albert Einstein,”renowned scientist and among the wisest in history is said to have described Insanity as “doing the same thing over and over expecting a different outcome”.
My mother used to remind me that “Life is serious”. She never went into detail to explain away. I suppose she felt I knew what she meant; and I also think I understood. Politics is serious business. Make the right choice in selecting your leaders and life can be like heaven on earth. Make wrong choices and life can get quite miserable.
You think the public wouldn’t see through you but what is in the dark cones to light at some point. Look at how you and your cronies stealing tax payers dollars. Wow you need to be ashamed of yourself, your own assistant secretary smelled a rat with the nonsense you were doing. Give you a little power and it went straight to your head and m—- to your p—–. You keep giving a—– —— and the rest of your people the c—– and getting kickbacks but your — deeds catcatching up to you.