00:00Senator Faris Arawi says the PNM is opposing proposed changes to the procurement bill,
00:05arguing the amendments would weaken the powers of the Office of Procurement Regulation.
00:10Speaking to reporters outside Parliament ahead of this afternoon's Senate sitting,
00:15Arawi claimed the proposed amendments would limit the OPR's ability to intervene
00:20in procurement decisions it considers questionable.
00:26What the Prime Minister has done, or the government has done, is to say,
00:31you know what, we're going to take away the power of the Office of Procurement Regulation.
00:36They will now be advisory. Nothing that they say will matter.
00:40They can no longer stop procurement that is wrong.
00:43That ought to raise a lot of alarm bells, particularly when you see that one clause,
00:48public-private partnership for land is going to be exempt.
00:53Immediately following the landmark construction scandal,
00:58immediately following the public procurement stoppage of $1.4 billion in contracts
01:04to one contractor alone in a truncated procurement process.
01:09Arawi also explained why the PNM is opposing the Special Operations Bill,
01:15raising constitutional concerns over the proposed powers of the Prime Minister and the police.
01:21Having said that we reject the bill, the question is, why do we reject the bill?
01:28We reject the bill because it is an unholy construction of unconstitutionalities.
01:34You cannot have a Prime Minister instructing the police,
01:39telling you who the officers who are permitted to be there or not are,
01:42and having a veto, telling them,
01:44you will report to me on the following things.
01:47That is to create a police state for the politicians to command.
01:51That by itself means that everybody should be afraid in this country.
01:56That's the reason that we don't support the law.
01:59Arawi says the PNM will not support the bill
02:02when the debate starts on Wednesday.
02:04let them know that you're suggesting the bill is not good in the office,
02:04Turn with the件 of Peter PNM will see.
02:05PRESIDENT MIA
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