Education Minister Shaik Baksh has announced that the Education Ministry will be taking legal action against Kaieteur News for what he termed its continuous ‘fabrication’ of information about the Digital Technology contract issue.
Education Minister Shaik Baksh
Speaking at Wednesday’s post-Cabinet media briefing, Baksh refuted the story carried in the newspaper’s Wednesday edition headlined “Minister Baksh lied – Education Ministry approved Gy$223M computer contract.” The article implies that the ministry had a role to play in the awarding of the contract, and also claims that the minister lied about the dates of this contract and a Gy$70 million contract involving the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).
“This is a matter that will be taken further than this news conference shortly, because I have evidence here and evidence will be presented at the correct forum to show that the Gy$70 million contract was awarded by the tender board on April 20, 2011 based on a no-objection issued by the Cabinet on the 13th April 2011,” the minister told reporters.
He added that “the Gy$222.9 million was awarded by tender board on the 12th of July several months after 2011 and the Cabinet no-objection on July 11, 2011.” “It will not end here, because to deem or to call a minister in other words a liar based on this evidence it has to be tested in a different forum,” Baksh stated. “Of all the evidence, this newspaper intends to distort this information for some ulterior motives, it’s clear as day.”
Krishendat Sukhu of Digital Technology
According to the KN article, “Indeed, tenders are assessed by the tender board, but the evaluation of these tenders is done in most cases by an Evaluation Committee, which is headed by the permanent secretary in the particular ministry for which the contract is awarded…” But the minister insists that the tender board process is a transparent one and the newspaper should have visited the agency’s website or requested the information as other media entities have done. “… the Ministry of Education does not award contracts; public advertisements are placed, tenders are open at the Procurement Board and at the opening of the tender, an evaluation committee is appointed by the tender board which has independence as I understand it,” he explained.
Baksh added that the fact that a member of the committee is an employee of the education ministry means nothing. “… it has no influence whatsoever by the minister of education or any other minister for contracts for ministries. That is done independently!” The Education Ministry has issued a paid advertisement in all of the daily newspapers, but KN did not carry the ad. This, the minister said, he finds “interesting”. Baksh believes that KN owes it to their readership to provide evidence when it makes certain claims, pointing to the allegation that Digital Technology may be financed by a government minister.
“The very reputation of the Kaieteur News is at stake here because members of the public and its readership expect that it will name that minister and provide the supporting evidence,” Baksh pointed out.
“Kaieteur News takes it upon itself to be a protector and an anti-corruption crusader and when you have evidence of conflict of interest and corruption you must state it publicly.”
