PROCUREMENT LAW TO PROTECT PUBLIC PURSE
A further piece of essential legislation to help protect the Turks and Caicos Islands poor commercial decisions by Government was the most significant agenda point at His Excellency the Governor’s Advisory Council meeting on Grand Turk today, Wed, 5 Sep 2012.
The draft Public Procurement Bill is one of a number of pieces of legislation being introduced as part of the body of legislative and regulatory changes designed to protect the public sector and its finances. This is one of the milestone related pieces of new legislation that will be made law before the election in November. It will also be considered by the Consultative Forum.
Following the enactment of the Public Finance Management Ordinance 2012 in March, it was concluded that a further specific procurement ordinance was necessary to reduce the opportunity to circumvent procurement procedures and ensure significantly improved management and accountability in all future procurement activities.
Itis intended that the following proposed improvements to the governance and accounting mechanisms will apply to TCI Government, public and statutory bodies, and include:
·The need for all public servants engaged in procurement to refer to this and related Ordinances, such as the Public Finance Management and Chief Financial Officer Ordinances when considering procurement matters.
·Creation of a statement of principles that public servants will be required to apply.
·Creation of a central contract management cell led by a Director of Contracts to oversee the process and provide advice as required
·Introduction of disciplinary and legal processes where Elected Members and/or Public Servants deliberately circumvent the provisions of the Ordinance
·The intentional splitting of a large procurement requirement into smaller lots to get round bidding requirements is a new offence
·Achieving Value for Money and encouraging competition are always to be prime considerations before procurement is undertaken.
·Introduction of reporting arrangements relating to contracts for capital projects with a life time value above that set by the Permanent Secretary Finance and all other contracts / amendments above the reporting threshold set by the Permanent Secretary Finance via the Gazette and/or Government web-site to provide transparent information to the general public.
·Setting out clear responsibilities of the Procurement Board (also known as the Tender Board)
·Defining the stages of the procurement process
It is recognised that previous TCI Governments, particularly during the period 2005-2009, negotiated poorly and mismanaged several important contracts. Notably:
·Contracts were entered into for exceptionally long periods with little or no financial benefit for the people of the TCI, with little or no opportunity to renegotiate or end the contracts without severe financial penalty to the public purse.
·There was no transfer of risk to the contractor either in terms of their expected performance or financial penalties for poor performance.
·Negotiations were often led by the proposed contractor and once a contract was signed, continuing contract monitoring is generally poor or more often non-existent.
·There have been instances where financial guarantees requested by proposed contractors have been agreed at the end of the evaluation of tender phase without Ministry of Finance knowledge or approval.
·It is apparent that Government procurement was so poorly coordinated and it is very unlikely that Value for Money is being achieved.
“Ensuring that public money is spent wisely and for the benefit of the taxpayers of the Turks and Caicos Islands is critical to the reforms that we are implementing to assist the incoming locally elected government with achieving better value for money in future procurements,” said Patrick Boyle, Chief Executive, TCI Government.
“It is clear that too many contractual decisions were taken in the past that did not sufficiently take into account the future longer term needs of the taxpayer. It was not right that some development agreements, for example, were signed for immediate short term gain, often for a duration of decades without any opportunity for renegotiation or sharing of success as that business grew. These days, procurement is a specialist role and this proposed law will make sure that this skill set is included at the heart of all future public sector commercial contracts.”
Feedback on the proposed legislation should be submitted togovernorgt@fco.gov.uk by 17.00hrs on Fri, 14 Sep 2012.
Employment Services Department ramps up safety and Health Campaign
The Employment Services (formerly Labour) Department has planned a series of lectures aimed at increasing public awareness of occupational health and safety and to enhance knowledge of the general public about safety at work as well as in the home.
The talks are designed to prepare residents of the Turks and Caicos Islands to recognize their rights to safety and health at work. They are also intended to sensitize employers and employees about the importance of developing and implementing Occupational Safety and Health Standards in the workplace.
The first lecture in the series will be held on Wednesday September 5, 2012 at 6:00pm at the Environment Centre on Lower Bight Road (opposite the children’s park), Providenciales. Guest Speaker Mr. George Penn, Community Fire and Safety Officer, Turks and Caicos Rescue Service will speak on Fire Safety in the Home.
Mr. Penn’s talk is expected to prepare home owners, domestic workers, caregivers and baby sitters among others to respond quickly to hazards. The lecture series is in keeping with TCIG’s commitment to recognize World Day for Safety and Health at Work.
On April 28, of this year, TCIG joined with the International Labour Organization (ILO) in recognizing World Day for Safety and Health at Work and made a commitment to continue educating the public on issues regarding a safe and healthy environment at home and in the work place.
CAICOS CAUSEWAY CONTRACT SIGNED
Governor Ric Todd stated on 5th September, that he had signed a $2.042m contract with Cove Construction to carry out the much anticipated repair of the Caicos Causeway.
His Excellency had previously intended for work to begin on the causeway linking North and Middle Caicos by 30 Jun 2012. However, the agreement of the contract took longer to negotiate as a number of options as to how the work could be carried out, considering the technical implications of each of these alternatives and calculating the final price all had to be agreed.
The extent of the repairs necessary to this iconic structure has meant the Interim Administration’s investment has also increased from $1.35m to more than $2m.
The works will now begin in November 2012, following this year’s hurricane season, and are due for completion by May 2012. They will involve:
·The reconstruction of the causeway including filling and resurfacing both the bridge and its approaches
·Improving the barriers that protect the causeway from tides and winds
·Repairing the bridge’s waterproof membrane
·Replacing the existing street lights with new solar powered units
·Removing casuarinas trees and replacing mangroves
The work on the Caicos Causeway is one of the key infrastructure projects highlighted in this year’s budget, which also included repairs to the Millennium Highway, the replacement of the decrepit Reverse Osmosis plants on Grand Turk in 2012/13 and Salt Cay in 2013/14, as well as investment in schools.
“As a regular visitor to all of the family islands, I am very sensitive to the importance of the causeway in the daily lives and businesses of the people of North and Middle Caicos. I have said that rebuilding the causeway is a high priority for the interim administration, so I am delighted the contract is signed and work will soon be underway,” said Governor Todd.
“I am sorry that the work did not begin when I said it would before this hurricane season, but this was for good reason. We wished to be certain that the works carried out provided a long term solution to achieving a permanent road connection between the two islands and avoid the problems associated with the previous attempt. It is too important to the people of these two islands for that. I hope that the residents will look back this time next year and be pleased with their ability to use the causeway with greater ease.”
Actor Michael Clarke Duncan died of natural causes
Green Mile actor Michael Clarke Duncan died of natural causes, a US coroner has confirmed.
The 54-year-old died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Monday. He had not recovered from a heart attack he suffered in July.
Meanwhile, tributes to the actor have continued to pour in.
Bruce Willis, who starred with Duncan in Armageddon, called him "a great human being". He added: "I will miss Big Mike in a big way."
Duncan had credited Willis for recommending him to The Green Mile director Frank Darabont.
He was later nominated for an Oscar in 2000 for his role as a death row inmate in the film.
Willis and Duncan went on to star in another three films together including The Whole Nine Yards and Sin City.
Director Michael Bay, who gave Duncan his first major role in Armageddon, penned a lengthy tribute about the actor's time on set, which was posted on his official website.
"It was a great time I will always remember, how proud I was to watch him grow into an actor," he said.
"We found him in a gym. He cried at the first audition because he was so proud to audition for a Michael [Bay] and Jerry [Bruckheimer] movie, he just wanted to make his mom proud.
"We gave him the role in the room."
But, Bay recalled, the star "sucked" on his first day in front of the cameras.
"I remember looking to Ben Affleck and thinking we might need to fire him.
"But I told him 'Mike, I hired you for you. I want the sweet, Mr Clarke Duncan I met in that room'. I said, 'the audience is going to fall in love with you'.
"He looked and smiled with deep voice and said 'OK.'
"From then on out he became the most improved actor on the set. That was the award he got at the end of the film. Everyone loved him, his infectious spirit and great belly laugh."
Actor Tom Hanks made similar comments about his former co-star. "He was the treasure we all discovered on the set of The Green Mile. He was magic. He was a big love of man and his passing leaves us stunned."
Green Mile director Frank Darabont added: "Michael was the gentlest of souls - an exemplar of decency, integrity and kindness. The sadness I feel is inexpressible."
Duncan is survived by his mother Jean, sister Judith, and fiancee Reverend Omarosa Manigault.
The actress and reality TV star told Radar Online she was "devastated" by the actor's death.
"He was the love of my life," she added.
Craig Harvey of the Los Angeles coroner's office said that Duncan's personal physician had signed the death certificate, and there was nothing to suggest officials need to review the case.
Patti LaBelle settles assault lawsuit, woman's attorney says
Patti LaBelle has agreed to pay $100,000 to settle a complaint that she verbally and physically assaulted a mother and her 18-month-old daughter in a Manhattan apartment lobby two years ago, the mother's lawyer said Wednesday.
The agreement ends a lawsuit that accused the singer of "yelling, screaming obscenities, throwing water and drenching with water, attempting to strike and physically injure" Roseanna Monk and her child, Genevieve, in the lobby of Trump Place on Manhattan's Upper West Side on November 11, 2010.
LaBelle, her lawyer and representative did not immediately respond to CNN requests for comment on the settlement filed in a federal court in New York.
A jury trial had been scheduled for late November, but U.S. District Judge John Koeltl signed an order dismissing the case at the request of each side Wednesday morning.
LaBelle, who lived in the same apartment building as the Monks at the time, denied the allegations in her initial response to the lawsuit last December, according to court documents.
Read more entertainment news on CNN's Marquee Blog
Monk's lawyer, Samuel Davis, told CNN Wednesday that it "took a bunch of depositions" before LaBelle "recognized that she was going to have to face the music."
The singer apparently was upset because she thought the child was wandering around the lobby unattended, Davis said.
"LaBelle besieged them with such ferocity, before she doused them with water, that the baby was crying hysterically," Davis said. "LaBelle would not desist."
Davis called the incident violent and traumatic. "The baby went from crying hysterically to vomiting," he said.
The incident caused a change in the child's personality for several months, he said.
"She went from being the most outgoing, saying 'hi' to everybody in the lobby of her building, to being clingy and shy," he said.
"Patti is a nice lady, but she has some anger issues," Davis said.
The Monks will donate the payment to charity, as Davis will do with his legal fees, which LaBelle must pay, the attorney said.
Source-CNN
Tom Cruise lawyer denies reports he 'auditioned brides'
A lawyer for Tom Cruise has denied claims that the Church of Scientology embarked on a long-term "auditioning" process to find the actor a new partner, after his 2001 divorce from Nicole Kidman.
Bert Fields called a Vanity Fair report, previewed on the magazine's website, "long, boring and false".
He said it was "a rehash of tired old lies" run in the supermarket tabloids.
Cruise and his third wife Katie Holmes divorced in July this year.
The article, written for October's edition of Vanity Fair, claimed the top-secret project was led by Shelly Miscaviage, the wife of Scientology leader David, in 2004.
Special correspondent Maureen Orth said she was told by "several sources" that actresses were quizzed by fellow Scientologists to find a suitable partner for Cruise, one of the organisation's most prominent proponents.
Actress Nazanin Boniadi, who was born in Iran and raised in the UK, told the magazine she was approached in 2004 and "audited", before being selected to date Cruise.
The article alleges their first date was conducted "with an entourage of Scientology aides", but the relationship faltered after a few months and ended in 2005.
The Church of Scientology has spoken out against the feature in a statement.
"There was no project, secret or otherwise, ever conducted by the church to find a bride (via audition or otherwise) for any member of the church. Never."
It claimed the magazine relied on a small group of "anti-Scientologists" for information, who had "shamelessly exploited Tom Cruise's divorce by spreading false and invented tabloid stories."
Vanity Fair says it stands by the story and has denied claims that it paid its sources.
Orth is a long-time contributor to the magazine, who has interviewed Vladimir Putin and Margaret Thatcher, as well as writing investigative articles about the allegations of sexual abuse levelled against pop star Michael Jackson.
Cruise married Holmes, with whom he has a daughter Suri, in an Italian castle in November 2006.
The actress filed for divorce at the end of June this year and the couple announced they had agreed a settlement several weeks later.
Seal, Heidi Klum Close to Settling Their Divorce
TMZ is reporting that Seal and Heidi Klum, who were married for seven years before they separated in January, are close to settling their divorce.
Sources told the website that the singer is now ready to end their marriage and recognizes that the postnuptial agreement he signed is enforceable and will be “substantially honored.”
Seal’s sudden revelation that their marriage is really over appears to be inspired by knowledge that Klum has been dating their mutual bodyguard Martin Kristen for three months. Seal was furious about the news and chastised Klum for “fornicating with the help.” The 39-year-old model responded with a statement that she has moved on from her relationship with Seal, but still cherishes all the memories they created together.
Sources tell TMZ that Seal later retracted his statements and clarified that he didn’t accuse Klum of cheating, because he didn’t want the divorce negotiations to become ugly.
Read more at http://www.eurweb.com/2012/09/seal-heidi-klum-close-to-settling-their-divorce-report/#1d9braPPP6xvcXbu.99
R Kelly to return to explicit music
R Kelly has been all about romance on his last two albums, but the self-proclaimed Pied Piper of R&B says he isn't going to abandon the explicit music that helped make him famous.
"Absolutely not, and I tell people all the time man," Kelly said in a phone interview last week. "Make no mistake about it, R Kelly is not going anywhere, it's just that R Kelly has such a unique talent, and I've been blessed to be able to do all type of genres of music ... I'm exploring my gift right now."
IMF’s listening ear
Barbados now has the opportunity to have its economic strategy clearly understood by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which has promised it will listen to local and regional views.
This opportunity emerged yesterday at the start of the high-level forum hosted by the IMF in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) at the Hyatt Hotel & Resort in Port of Spain.
And Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados, Dr Delisle Worrell, indicated he would sieze it with both hands.
“In Barbados, we are very clear about the strategy for stabilization and growth. Our beef is that it is not well understood in Washington, so we are determined that we will be conveying that message at this meeting, and we hope that they will be listening,” he told the MIDWEEK NATION during a break in the intense two-day talks.
Worrell added that deputy managing director of the IMF, Min Zhu, had indicated the Fund’s intention to listen to the region’s views on the way forward; and as a result, it was necessary for Barbados and its neighbours to articulate their economic strategies strongly during this forum entitled Rethinking Policy To Address Low Growth and High Debt In The Caribbean.
“The most important thing and what will really make this meeting valuable is the dialogue, and the point that Mr Min Zhu made, which we are going to be focusing on, is that he wants to listen to what the region believes is the way forward,” Worrell explained, adding that he had just published an article on stabilization and growth policy for small states which would be circulated to the IMF group as well.
Earlier, Min Zhu, in the forum’s opening speech, declared that while the Caribbean compared well with other countries in the Western Hemisphere in terms of political stability, sporting achievements and a business-friendly environment, there must be a focus on what could be improved in light of the looming spectre of rising food prices, delayed and insufficient policy action in the Eurozone and United States and weakened growth prospects in emerging market countries.
“How can we get policies right to deal with these challenges? First and foremost, we want to listen to your views, and also share with you what has worked in other parts of the world and could work in the Caribbean,” Zhu told the audience of over 70 participants, including regional leaders Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas, of St Kitts-Nevis, and Anguilla’s Chief Minister Hubert Hughes.
Min Zhu advised firstly that in order to boost growth and competitiveness in the region, countries needed to get to the root of why growth has been elusive, especially in tourism-intensive countries such as Barbados, Jamaica and The Bahamas.
“It will be important to ensure that growth is inclusive and does not only benefit a privileged few. Further, building on the social cohesion that prevails in the Caribbean, we need to pay attention to those that may be left behind and improve the social safety net systems. This applies especially to the high level of unemployed youth in the region,” he stated, adding that “ambitious reforms” would be needed.
He also noted that beside coping with the global crisis, the Caribbean was emerging from its own financial sector crisis, and emphasis must therefore remain on “bolstering supervision and regulation of banks and insurance companies to prevent another major crisis, as well as to avoid contagion”.
In terms of lowering debt and ensuring fiscal sustainability, Min Zhu said the high indebtedness of several Caribbean countries, despite their middle to high income status, had constrained policy options; and all parties would therefore have to discuss ways to build sustainable fiscal frameworks – including via structural reforms and fiscal consolidation – to lower debt and improve creditworthiness.
Adding that “the Fund is open for business,” he said he hoped this forum would allow more avenues to be explored for the IMF to help, alongside its longstanding support through the Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Centre, which is one of eight such IMF agencies in the Caribbean, Pacific, Africa, Middle East and Central America.
By Ricky Jordan in Port of Spain
3 Brazil politicians charged with corruption
Four politicians were arrested and three others were being sought in an anti-corruption sting in a Rio de Janeiro town, officials said yesterday, describing it as an example of other operations that are under way.
Among the seven arrested or sought were the mayor, the leading candidate for mayor and the head of the city council in Guapimirim, a working class town of about 52,000 people in the foothills of Rio de Janeiro’s mountains.
Authorities said 11 other suspects also were indicted in a scheme that investigators allege illegally siphoned off at least $24 million in public funds over four years. The charges include fraud, corruption and racketeering.
The investigation is not an isolated case, prosecutor Antonio Campos Moreira said at a news conference.
“We have a number of similar investigations looking into city halls,” Moreira said.
Brazil, which has long ranked toward the bottom of Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index, has been taking steps to improve accountability and practices in government. In the past few years, the government has created oversight bodies such as the CGU, which audits and promotes transparency in the executive branch, and the CNJ, which oversees the judiciary.
Seven members of President Dilma Rousseff’s Cabinet have given up their posts or were pushed out following corruption allegations.
These efforts have been largely concentrated at the federal level, however, with very little happening at the state and municipal levels, said Carlos Abramo, head of Transparencia Brasil, a group not connected to Transparency International that focuses on anti-corruption efforts.
“Brazil is a very decentralized state, in which states and municipalities have total autonomy,” Abramo said. “At that level you can have total confusion. The lack of administrative competence is widespread.”
In the case of Guapimirim, one family, of which the mayor was part, has held control for years. According to court documents, city council members received monthly payments of up to $35,000 to support the reigning coalition.
During the September 7 holiday weekend, groups in dozens of cities across Brazil are planning marches to call for clean government.
Carla Zambelli, organiser of one of the group, NasRuas, or InTheStreets, says marches are expected in 69 cities.
Among their specific demands are the end to secret voting in the legislature and justice in the cash-for-votes trial involving the governing Workers’ Party that is currently before the Supreme Court. In that case, the party is accused of illegally paying legislators a monthly stipend to support government projects.
“Brazil is among the countries that pay the highest taxes, but our security, education and health services are terrible,” said Zambelli. “We agree with paying taxes, but we want to see it come back to us in services.”
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/3-Brazil--politicians-charged-with-corruption-#ixzz25dvE3B4k