We weren't sleeping on the job, says NWA advisory board chair

Livern Barrett, Gleaner Writer

The advisory board of directors for the National Works Agency (NWA) has conceded that some of the questionable expenditures highlighted there are "alarming", but claims it was powerless to do anything about them.

Dr Parris Lyew-Ayee, the acting chairman, said the role of the board is limited to advising the agency's CEO on a range of issues and that it has no involvement in the day-to-day operations.

In addition, Lyew-Ayee said the board did not have control over personnel matters or the authority to compel former CEO Patrick Wong to cooperate with its queries, unlike agencies that have an executive board.

"The most important thing here is that we cannot be held responsible if we are not provided with information," he told The Gleaner yesterday.

For example, Lyew-Ayee noted that the board was aware of the "institutional strengthening" component of the Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme (JDIP), but said it was not within the remit of the members to request details.

"I can ask out of being 'nuff', but then it's up to them (management) being cooperative to provide the information," said Lyew-Ayee.

"Implicit in all of this is the fact that we are dependent on information provided by the NWA to us. We are not involved in approving anything. We have no power to recommend that the agency does anything," he said.

Added Lyew-Ayee: "We were not sleeping on the job. We are aware of these issues (at the NWA) only when they are brought to us or if we hear about them in the press or from other sources."

The NWA has come under scrutiny since the findings of an audit of the controversial US$400-million JDIP was made public last month.

In one of the more shocking revelations, the Auditor General's Department said US$1.2 million (J$102 million) was used to refurbish the NWA's corporate offices in St Andrew.

Controversial findings

According to the audit report, which was tabled in the House of Representatives, the refurbishing was financed through the institutional strengthening component of JDIP.

Even before the dust settled on those findings, the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament was informed on Tuesday that the NWA spent an additional $62 million on furniture for its offices.

The Office of the Contractor General, which has commenced an investigation into the latest revelations, charged that there "appears to be serious irregularities" in the way the furniture was purchased.

Lyew-Ayee said the first time he learnt of the costs for the refurbishing of the NWA's corporate offices was through media reports.

In addition, Lyew-Ayee revealed that the board was given monthly updates on all JDIP projects, but said the information would simply indicate how far they had reached and whether there was any problem with them.

"We get information on JDIP every month ... (saying) such and such project is 20 per cent complete, such and such project is having delays because of equipment malfunction. That's JDIP to me," he said about the Chinese-loan programme, which has been dogged by controversy from the outset.

livern.barrett@gleanerjm.com