GAPE nominated Emily Dodson to the Public Procurement Commission

Dear Editor,

We refer to a letter in Stabroek News of October 3, 2017 with the caption ‘Ram left out two names in his letter’ written by Frederick Kissoon. In that letter Mr Kissoon speculates on the reason for the selection and appointment of Ms Emily Dodson as a member of the Public Procurement Commission (PPC). In that letter Mr Kissoon states as follows: “The question David and I asked ourselves is why the APNU+AFC’s choice of Emily Dodson for the Procurement Commission taking into consideration two contextual points – there are over three hundred lawyers in Guyana that could function competently in the Commission and secondly, would the Jagdeo case not be a logical consideration when Ms Dodson’s name came up. It was not. Someone in the PNC leadership felt that Ms Dodson was the right choice and that her case for Mr Jagdeo’s third term was not important to disqualify her. For me, logics [sic] come in. Why Dodson and not another lawyer seeing that there was the Jagdeo case? All I am asking in this column is for someone to show me the logical thinking behind the Dodson choice.”

The Guyana Association of Professional Engineers (GAPE) wishes to respond to Mr Kissoon’s request to be shown the logical thinking behind the Dodson choice. GAPE was requested by the competent authority to nominate a person to be a member of the PPC. This request was due to the fact that at the policy level the procurement of works, services and materials for built infrastructure was a major activity of the state. Hence the input of a person with an engineering background of high integrity and unblemished career was essential. This request was discussed by the GAPE executive and it was decided to nominate Eng Emily Dodson. Eng Dodson is a Fellow of GAPE, the highest grade of membership of GAPE. As a professional engineer she worked for many years at the Guyana Electricity Corporation, before she embarked on studies which resulted in her becoming an attorney-atlaw. She is therefore a double professional with a significant track record in both professions. Eng Dodson was considered by GAPE to be an excellent candidate for nomination to membership of the PPC. We do not know for sure why she was selected and appointed to be a member of the PPC, but we believe that her membership of and nomination by GAPE was the predominant factor. GAPE is of the firm view that the PPC should have in its membership an experienced professional engineer. Yours faithfully, Kwame Pindar President Guyana Association of Professional Engineers