“Now we know, more than ever before, that it is the government’s intention that the few eat and the many get crushed and that this objective is being reached. GRTU expects the Labour Party, as the alternative government, to declare in a clearer way than ever before that when and if it is in government it will block the bulk-buying of computer contracts, whatever the Chamber of Commerce says.”
There was no stopping GRTU director general Vince Farrugia yesterday. “If today’s Chamber has changed its mind on bulk buying, that is its own business. GRTU believes that the government is committed to GRTU and the European Commission that government contracts become accessible to small enterprises.
“This tender was fashioned to eliminate the small traders. It has been at the planning stage for at least eight months. Now we know the result: one or two are chosen and the rest will be out of business for five whole years as regards government contracts. This means the public’s money will end up in one or two pockets. And then they tell us that they are back the small guys and want everyone to have his share of the economic well being the country creates! And we are called ‘malign’ just because we speak out.”
Mr Farrugia said GRTU instigated legal proceedings again last week as it objected to MITTS meeting selected members of the Chamber of Commerce when MITTS head Alex Attard had, according to Mr Farrugia, told GRTU that government regulations governing public procurement by tender prohibited such meetings.
GRTU’s contention all along had been that there was no logical reason for the government to go for this new form of bulk buying as it would deal a terrible blow to the 120 firms capable of servicing the public sector and that, while the selected few were in the know, the rest were kept in the dark.
The tender closed on Friday and Mr Justice Valenzia will decide on its legality tomorrow.
“But now,” Mr Farrugia said, “we know the facts: Only five have applied and we know who they are. There are 51 who could qualify and 15 of them are top-notch, but only five somehow felt capable to meet the gross obligation imposed by this Lm10 million contract.
“This tender was clearly designed for the few and the target was achieved. If they were sincere in their EU commitment and their commitment to GRTU to open up public procurement to small business, they could have split up the contract so that different firms could have supplied according to their individual capabilities and the specifications, though standard, could have been widened so that others besides a leading couple of international firms could have applied.”
Mr Farrugia was highly critical of the lawyer who represented the government in court on Friday. He said GRTU would never accept what this female lawyer said – that government is not obliged to consult with anybody. “It is only a government that has lost its way which says such things: this is a political, economic, and above all, a moral faux pas.
“GRTU will never accept what the government has said that just because GRTU took steps to uncover this hypocrisy on this tender, it has become ‘malign’, which is what GRTU was called in a public statement.
“GRTU will never accept that the government barefacedly meets with whoever it wants and ignores GRTU because the government knows it will face GRTU’s objections.
“Whatever the court decides, what is wrong and harmful to our members remains wrong and harmful even if not illicit. This is a government that is defying us and we are ready to accept the challenge.”