MPs uncomfortable with MBJ’s bid for Norman Manley International
There appears to now be an end in sight for the Government’s numerous attempts to get the Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) off its hands, with interest from the operators of the country’s other major airport.
However, some members of parliament on the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) are questioning the appropriateness of allowing operators of the Sangster International Airport to compete for the contract. At yesterday’s meeting of the PAAC with officials of the transport and mining ministry, MPs mulled over whether MBJ Airports Limited could be getting an unfair advantage over the other seven bidders. The preferred bidder is to be announced in April and the divestment tied up by December 2018.
MP for North West Manchester, Mikael Phillips noted that the previous enterprise team had excluded MBJ because it was felt that there could be a compromise in the competitiveness of the bidding process. He remarked that this was “common sense” and queried why the current enterprise team – which has been granted a 20-month extension by Cabinet to complete its work – has now included the MBJ in the process.
Committee chairman, Dr Wykeham McNeill, said the matter should be of grave concern to all stakeholders in the aviation industry. Permanent Secretary in the transport ministry, Dr Alwin Hayles explained that there had been a shift in Government policy, and that while there had been good grounds for excluding MBJ in the first place, safeguards could be put in place to “try ensure that their (MBJ) operations are not harmful to the country.”
But he also noted that the conditions of the agreement could not be tailored midstream specifically for MBJ, and further cautioned against appearing to interfere with the process, as it could not be presumed that such preconditions were not included in the tender documents. (Jamaica Observer/Photo: Jamaica Information Service)