Harding
Paulwell
OPPOSITION JAMAICA Labour Party (JLP) Senators yesterday declined the gifts of laptop computers from Technology Minister Phillip Paulwell in the wake of controversy over the source of funding for the machines.
At the close of yesterday's sitting of the Senate, Leader of Opposition Business, Senator Dr. Ossie Harding, said his colleagues could not accept the computers, which have been offered to all parliamentarians, until there was clarification on how they were bought. "We at this time are not accepting them. The matter seems to have become controversial...and I would rather wait to have some clarification on this matter before accepting them," he said.
Senator Harding said if the laptops were not being funded by taxpayers, the Senators would have no desire of accepting them.
It was reported yesterday that the $5.9 million used to fund the purchase of the machines came from Cable and Wireless Jamaica Ltd. (C&W) and IBM.
Minister Paulwell told The Gleaner yesterday that the money dedicated by C&W was used to purchase the computers from IBM through a special deal which would include the provision for training the parliamentarians how to the use the machines.
He said the funding from C&W was part of the negotiated settlement package with the company which will result in full liberalisation of the telecoms industry in the next three years. He said the funds were specifically targeted towards the initiative and was not diverted from funds allocated to training.
Mr. Paulwell acknowledged that full details of the venture were not disclosed to the Parliament, but nonetheless contended that the controversy that has emerged over the issue was uncalled for. "This is really unfortunate that in an era when we are trying to reposition Jamaica in the information technology industry, we should have this furore," he said.
Yesterday, JLP leader Edward Seaga said further information would be sought to determine the source of the funds for the computers before the Opposition decides whether to accept them. Some JLP MPs have already accepted the computers.
Mr. Seaga said that when the computers were being distributed in the House of Representatives last week, he sought to find out what was their source of funding but the "response did reveal that the computers were being funded from any training funds provided by C&W".
