Tough Actions Await Corrupt Business Houses
The new Chairman of the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC), Professor Willie Belleh, has underscored the need for a constructive engagement with all stakeholders in the procurement reform program aimed at ensuring a robust and sustained transparency and accountability in public procurement and concessions.
Professor Belleh disclosed that the PPCC, under his stewardship, will build strategic alliance with key stakeholder institutions such as the Ministry of Finance, General Auditing Commission, and the Ministry of Justice, geared towards implementing the reform program.
ìTo all of our stakeholders, I want to engage you constructively in policy and institutional reforms dialogues. I want us to evolve a shared national vision of public procurement and concessions. I want to earn your trust through partnering with you for the common good. In this context, we will be collaborative in our undertakings, but though in compelling compliance and tough in dispensing sanctions. We will be part policeman, taking to task those who will choose to cheat our people and, part teacher, assisting those who will seek direction and guidance to do what is right in public procurement and concessions,î Professor Belleh pointed out.
He threatened to institute tougher actions such as debarring from the public procurement process business houses that are bent on cheating. Professor Belleh however promised to enhance the existing framework of policies, procedures, and practices, especially the monitoring and compliance endeavors, and continuously research international best practices and adapt them to what he refers to as our conditions and situations. The PPCC new Boss further promised to find ways of protecting procurement officers from the arbitrary removal and dismissal actions of ìcorrupt officialsî on account of their selfish motivations. Chairman Belleh made the assertions Tuesday, April 6, 2010, when he took over the leadership of the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission, following the demise of his predecessor, Hon. Keith K. Jubah, who was gruesomely murdered on November 1, 2009, near his Bungalow in the Morrisí Farm Community in Kakata, Margibi County.
Earlier, Commissioner Esther W. Paegar, who served the Commission as Acting Chairman, following the death of Hon. Jubah, catalogued the achievements and challenges of the PPCC. She, among others, informed Chairman Belleh that the Complaints, Appeals, and Review Panel (CARP), as enshrined in the Act, has been constituted and is now fully functional, restoring confidence via adjudication of complaints filed before the Commission by aggrieved bidders.
Commissioner Paegar also informed Chairman Belleh that the PPCC, in an attempt to enhance clarity of the Act, developed Regulations and Step-by-Step Implementation Manual to coincide with the PPC Act of 2005. On the issue of challenges, the Acting Chairman named the repeated violations of the PPC Act by some procuring entities of government, removal and replacement of trained procurement staff with untrained ones, among others as some of the challenges facing the Commission.
In a rather short remark, Executive Director Peggy Varfley Meres, welcome Chairman Belleh, and pledged her unflinching support to moving the Commission in the right direction. ìWe pledge our 150% support and our expectation is that you will bring new leadership and vision to complement our efforts to continue charting the course and implementing the mandate of the Commission. Our hope and prayer is that our efforts in carrying out procurement reform in Liberia will be enriched, and become more productive and sound,î She assured Professor Belleh.
