New policy for awarding Operation Pride contracts - Blythe makes changes to stop corruption charges

WESTERN BUREAU:

DR. KARL Blythe, Minister of Water and Housing, announced yesterday in Montego Bay that provident societies falling under Operation Pride, would no longer be allowed to appoint their own contractors.

He said this was an attempt to eliminate accusations of corruption in the awarding of Operation Pride contracts, similar to those which surfaced recently when the Norwood Provident Society, St. James, awarded a contract to Black Brothers Inc. Ltd., of Mandeville, well-known supporters of the PNP.

"All the contracts will now have to go through the National Contracts Committee," Dr. Blythe told The Gleaner at the meeting at which he made the announcement.

"As it is, the provident societies deal with all these matters and we advise them. However, we have decided to change this policy," he said.

He said the policy change would apply not only to provident societies but would be "across the board" and would not affect provident societies that had already signed contracts.

He said that because of the independent status of provident societies they were allowed to select contractors without going through the committee which has the responsibility of approving all government contracts.

Dr. Blythe said there was no corruption in the selection of Black Brothers as the contractors for the Norwood Operation Pride project.

He said there would possibly be a price reduction in the cost of Operation Pride lots as recommended by the Prime Minister.

He said the government would find a way to defer the cost of putting in the infrastructure and bring down the cost of the lots. "We are going to put the working class in control of land in Jamaica," Dr. Blythe told squatters gathered at the St. James Parish Council.

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