Opposition Leader repeats call for Inquiry
Leader of the Opposition Dr. the Honourable Orlando Smith is calling on His Excellency the Governor to reconsider his decision not to appoint a Commission of Inquiry into the Beef Island Bridge project. “
As Leader of the Opposition, I wrote to His Excellency the Governor on January 30, 2001 asking him to appoint a Commission of Inquiry into the Beef Island Bridge Project in accordance with Section 2 of the Commission of Inquiry Act Chapter 237,” he stated. He said he and his colleagues, as well as the vast majority of their fellow citizens were concerned that yet another major public project being undertaken by this government has become a matter of urgent public concern requiring an independent review, due to the lack of proper planning, implementation and the ongoing escalating costs.
In a news release issued last Thursday, Dr. Smith indicated that he had received a formal response during the week of March 26th, dated March 19th, from His Excellency, stating that he did not intend to set up a Commission of Inquiry into the Beef Island Bridge project at this time.
According to the Opposition Leader, His Excellency’s stated reasons included the possibility of litigation and or arbitration between government and the contractors. He said a Commission of Inquiry could jeopardize that process. “He also addressed the points in my letter contending that the design and build tendering process did not result in unnecessary loss to too many contractors, but was unrecoverable loss associated with unsuccessful bids,” he revealed. Dr. Smith said the Governor also rejected the contention that the rejection of the design should have led to a re-tendering of the project because this was well within the terms of the contract for government to seek an alternative design from the successful tender.
“He further suggested that the statement of the Minister of Communications and Works in the Legislative Council on February 16, 2001 answered in good measure our concerns about the lengthy delay and the escalating costs of the project,” the leader of the opposition National Democratic Party continued.
He said the Governor ended his reply by stating that he agreed that there were lessons to be learnt from the project and that at the end of the project and the outcome of any arbitration or litigation, he will consider again if any investigation or inquiry into the project is warranted.
However, Dr. Smith said he and his colleagues still have very serious concerns about this project and are truly disappointed by His Excellency’s decision not to appoint a Commission of Inquiry. “While it may be true that the expenses associated with the bidding process for contracts are considered non-recoverable in larger countries, the BVI is a very small developing country,” the release quoted him as saying. “It is my firm opinion that our small contractors must be protected from such additional costs.”
He said his colleagues on the opposition
side do not accept the statement by the Minister of Communications
and Works detailing the reasons for the delay and escalating
cost of this project. “We believe that a Commission of Inquiry
into the project can and will result in more responsible handling
of the tax payers money. We also firmly believe that oversight
is one of the critical and vital roles of Her Majesty’s
Representative and hereby call on His Excellency to reconsider
his decision sooner rather than later,” Dr. Smith concluded
in his press statement.
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