As he prepares to seek re-election as Vice-Chairman of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Minister of Public Health Dr George Norton is asking members to see past his mistakes in addressing the controversial Sussex Street drug bond contract, while saying he acted on information given by his staff.
And while he admits that he “was being a little reckless, on my part, for not verifying in a more detailed form, the accuracy of information fed,” on the contract, resulting in him making misleading statements in the National Assembly, Norton stressed that he never received any kickbacks from the deal and he is not friends with the contractor, Larry Singh.
“As a minister I depend on my staff to give me certain information…the PNC persons would understand that while I might have provided incorrect information, it was information that was given to me,” Norton told Stabroek News.
“It hurt me, really hurt me to hear people say I must have received kickbacks and these sort of things because it is nothing of the sort. I never got any kickback…I am not friends with Larry Singh,” he stressed.
In the wake of controversy over the deal for the rental of the Lot 29 Sussex Street, Charlestown bond, with Linden Holdings Inc. to store pharmaceuticals at some $12.5M per month, President David Granger appointed a Cabinet Sub-Committee to do a review.
It has since recommended that government should try to negotiate a reduction of the agreed monthly rental fee and that if there is a refusal by Linden Holdings Inc, government should give a year’s notice of a termination of the lease and build its own facilities in the intervening period.
Although government has admitted that Norton misled the National Assembly during questioning about the bond on August 8, 2016, the report says he was apparently misled by officials of his ministry when he provided the information.
The sub-committee, which comprised Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Minister of State Joseph Harmon and Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman, also addressed the necessity of leasing the bond and noted government needed to find alternative space at the earliest possible opportunity and Norton was acting in accordance with a Cabinet directive when he tasked the health ministry’s staff to find and secure a suitable bond at the earliest possible time.
The Public Health Ministry had previously been utilizing a New GPC storage warehouse at Ruimveldt rent-free, while that company had been the primary sole-source supplier of drugs and pharmaceuticals to the ministry. However, the sub-committee report notes that the ministry this year instituted a new procurement model that remove the single sourcing arrangement and introduced an open tendering process, following which New GPC is said to have requested payment for use of the Ruimveldt warehouse.
Norton, the report says, advised Cabinet that the continued use of the warehouse was undesirable because the sum being sought was excessive and that in the open bidding process there could be allegations of conflict of interest by other suppliers about the use of the New GPC warehouse.
‘Slaughtered’
Yesterday, Norton explained why the facility was sought through sole sourcing, while arguing that it was to save time.
“Why not an open procurement process? That process, I am learning now—and I have been into politics all my life but I have never been into what is competitive bidding and procurement procedures—it takes a long time for you to get that bidding document out, for you to put to go to tender, for the evaluation committee to evaluate, then to tender board and then to Cabinet and things like that…it takes a long time,” he said.
“Let me tell you this, one of the difficulty we run into with the procurement of our medication is the length of time,” he added.
When it was pointed out that procuring drugs and procuring a building would see a difference in processing time, Norton said that he believes that this very argument is why he was “being slaughtered” and he accepted that maybe more scrutiny could have been done.
“What you are saying there is the big argument and there is where I am being slaughtered and I accept that part of it,” he said.
“If I made a mistake, even though I might not have been able to change the status quo, that is where I said I might have been reckless. I got slaughtered for that there is no doubt about it,” he added.
‘Lesson learned, experience gained’
But Norton says he has learned from this experience and believes that it has him so cautious now that his attitude seems to border on paranoia.
“It isn’t easy. I am now questioning everything. I am now paranoid about these vouchers. I call up about these medivacs asking ‘how much are we paying? If this conference was really held, why are you ordering lunch?’ These are the kinds of things. It ain’t easy. It was kind of reckless on my part coming into it not knowing and I took a good beating for it,” he posited.
It is because he feels that the experience has helped his growth as a politician and more so a minister of an agency, that he is asking delegates at Friday’s PNCR congress to vote for him again.
“George Norton has been a true soldier to the cause of the PNC, in the frontline of the battle, in the trenches and warzone to get rid of the PPP and all those who benefitted though corruption with their being in power and they [the delegates] can look forward to more positive changes,” the party Vice-Chairman asserted.
“To create a level playing field for all to share in the good life of Guyana and not only a selected few, as what took place, I promise to work with the same level of zeal and enthusiasm, particularly in the indigenous and hinterland communities where my forte lies in my political advocacy. Besides, over the years working with all the leaders of the PNC, I have developed a track record and vast experience that the PNC would be very fortunate to have at their disposal,” he added.
He informed that he is also preparing to hold true to his promise to the National Assembly to submit documents pertaining to the bond contract. “I promised the Parliament that I would make the contract available and I will,” Norton further said.
