The opposition is threatening to withhold its support for any legislation if the government does not withdraw the recent amendments to the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
The Bill was passed in the Senate on December 8 with the help of Independent Senator Dr Maria Dillon-Remy.
Speaking at a media conference on Sunday, Opposition Senator Wade Mark accused the government of legalising “thievery, banditry and naked and wholesale corruption”.
Mark took issue with Section 7 (2), which was amended to exempt government-to-government contracts from scrutiny.
The opposition senator further called on government to provide accountability for the purchase of two cape class vessels from Australian shipbuilder, Austal.
He said: “In the amendment to the parent legislation, which was recently debated and passed, the Rowley-led government literally gutted and destroyed the efficacy of Act No.1 of 2015, and in the process literally legalised thievery, banditry and naked and wholesale corruption.”
Mark demanded that government immediately withdraw the amendments.
He said if they failed to do so, the opposition will not cooperate in the Parliament.
Mark said: “We want them to immediately withdraw these disturbing amendments…Until they do so, the United National Congress will not be supporting any legislation that they bring to the parliament…We will not cooperate.”
