Hey! Let’s Tender! Let’s Bid!
I get impatient, crotchety, a wee bit short-tempered and definitely upset when I suspect or know that people are attempting to mislead or deceive me and the masses these days. Especially as I am in the contemplative second half of my sixties.
After a generation or two, one becomes matured – and honest – enough to realize, to appreciate and to know that many long-held, traditional or handed – down bits of wisdom are not true and cannot weather serious analysis or pass any moral polygraph test. So what the heck am I going on about today?
Well, it’s to astound many of my acquaintances, friends and colleagues by revealing my decades – old impatience with the misconception that we Guyanese are “one”. “One” my big foot! How in heaven’s name can multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-religious and extremely diverse groups in any country be deemed one? How? Only when one is being metaphorical or given to traditional, conventional or journalistic cliché. Just as I have an idiosyncrasy of not asking anyone the popular “how are you?” I never ever say that we Guyanese are one. Let me share my rather unconventional view.
National mottoes (on national Coat-of-Arms) are inspirational, merely meant to inspire and influence national behaviour; statements of intent, urging collective striving after ideals. Thus “Out of many, one”, “One People, one Nation, and one Destiny” and so on let’s admit it people, those objectives are never really achieved anywhere, in sustained reality. We are “one people” only as Guyanese native nationals who were born within these borders. My view, I repeat, are that we can be all Guyana–born Guyanese but not truly one people.
Yet I say, also, that Guyanese at home are not as polarised as the leaders are and as the leaders say we are. There are real differences and resentment, born of discrimination and corruption, nepotism – friendly practices which deny one group opportunities available to some only. But we remain Guyanese who live, play, pray and suffer together when other diverse groups in other places cannot even shop peacefully in a market together. We however, are Guyanese free to mix, mingle and marry as we choose. But our diversity bespeaks innate differences we must accept and respect. Those differences, I say boldly, attract a reality which militates against us being “one”.
Celebrate diversity?
Again, I get impatiently crotchety when our leaders exhort us to celebrate our diversity. Why? Diverse origins, cultural practices and heritage, religious preferences all must be appreciated when they contribute to our national identity, not to mention our cohesion. But, frankly speaking, I won’t “celebrate” any diversity. Rather, I would respect and live with our peaceful origins and diverse nature as a people but I see no real reason to celebrate and hold diversity high.
Incidentally, can diversity really be “strength?” I thought that too often, diversity breeds impatience, intolerance and ultimately, conflict. So even as you “celebrate” our own Guyanese peaceful coexistence, discuss the foregoing.
Tendering and Bidding
Read “tendering and bidding for national contracts in Guyana these days”.
A more conscious media in Guyana today have discovered that it is the consequence of bidding and tendering for contracts to perform and implement national things which can result in the highest forms of corruption. Subtle and not so subtle; some contract – awardees know little about the projects they superintend as they swindle away poor taxpayers hard-earned money.
We are told that it is not necessarily the highest or lowest bid which can determine the eventual award. Other expertise and criteria, which should attract top-level consultants’ scrutiny, come into consideration. So I’m heartened by the media’s increased interest in this issue. Other watchdog groups should get involved when the bids are being opened by whatever “procurement” body, now in existence. (And media, please find out even more about the National, Industrial and Commercial Investment Limited (NICIL). For me.
But it all begins with the bidding. So get out, for example, last Sunday’s newspapers. For starters, if you have the expertise, experience and wherewithal, you can bid for: the CH and PA Installation of Pure Water Distribution Networks, the supply and delivery of construction materials for the Guyana Prison Service, Region Nine’s numerous construction works, Region Three’s road improvement programme, construction of hostel and vocational centre in the North West, for procurement of items for GECOM’s mechanical workshop, etc. etc!
So come on people (with the required expertise and cash) go bid! Don’t leave it to “the regulars”. Learn about the Regional Tender Administration Boards. And the National Competitive Bidding Procedures (Procurement Act 2003). And the National Board of Procurement and Tender Administration. And bid! Darn it!
Think about it….
*1) Our diversity sees one group forever loving their fore-parents’ cultural/ religious heritage from India. Which other groups are so connected to their ancestors’ origins? Discuss.
*2) Imagine! Two weeks ago a young fellow appeared before the Acting Chief Magistrate for uttering a forgery. He wanted to go into the Guyana Police Force with a forged birth certificate! What a cop would he have become!?
*3) I’ll apologise to India if I’m wrong here. But on Tuesday I swear the Indian bowlers started to bowl soft to Sri Lankan batsmen towards the end. Was it because West Indies beat them (India) last Sunday? Sorry if I’m wrong.
‘Til Next Week!
(Comments? allanafenty@yahoo.com)
