The decision to do a peer review on the incomplete Lautoka Swimming Pool was reflective of the poor fiscal discipline and economic mismanagement of this Government,” says The People’s Alliance Party leader Sitiveni Rabuka.
Responding to Government’s call for a tender for a peer review of the incomplete project, Mr Rabuka said it reflected a leadership that had little regard to good governance.
“Just like the recent sloppy approach to bank guarantees recently approved in Parliament, the lackadaisical manner in which this Government has approached this significant blowout in a government project from $2 million to $12.6 million or 630 per cent reflects a leadership that has little regard for good governance and the need to act responsibly as custodian of taxpayer funds,” he said in a statement.
“Construction planning for this project was announced in 2015 and it is now in the sixth year and the swimming pool is not complete. Someone’s head should roll for this type of irresponsible behaviour and yet the Prime Minister does nothing. This is not the look of a Prime Minister who is in control.”
He said a peer review was typically used when a business or organisation was seeking process improvements or had adopted a quality assurance business framework.
“The current situation is far from a quality or process improvement event or situation.”This case displays a massive breakdown in governance, control and monitoring processes in the swimming pool project.
“The abolition of the Public Works Department may well have contributed to this debacle, and you have to wonder what other projects have had similar outcomes but have not been publicly disclosed?”
The party added that this level of financial irresponsibility and lack of respect for good governance should not be tolerated and The People’s Alliance Government would not behave in “such an irresponsible and arrogant manner”.
