My Thread for today will be #OperationPride !
#DidYouKnow that the PNP-Led National Housing Development Corporation wrote off $2Bn Dollars in losses for the Operation Pride Housing Development. 87 Counts of Fraud are before the Courts for the matter!
The prosecution, which hung on testimonies of two employees of the NHDC - Gerald Tobias, a quantity surveyor, and Lloyd McLean - remains in the system as both men left the island and have lived overseas since. I wont say which party both are associated with.
#DidYouKnow that 10 of the #OperationPride Projects were overrun by 5.5Bn Dollars? The project was to cost $1.7Bn and ended up costing $7.2Bn. 🥴 Bet You Never Know @JamaicaPNP Bill That?
#KarlBlythe, the Minister responsible for #OperationPride, said there were some “short comings” but no widespread corruption. He resigned.
Operation Pride promised 111 Housing Projects (Sounds Familiar)? But after realizing they didnt have the funding, PNP-Led Govt of PJ Patterson decided to do 20/111 projects. 18%.
One of the projects in St Ann, Belle Air, was instructed to increase the contract amount so the Minister could have an unrelated community get water under the project. 🥴
When the lots were completed, the PNP realized that #OperationPride was in trouble as the houses were valued at about 3 times the target markets range. Govt had to suffer a further loss by subsidizing the houses at some $800M.
Bills of quantities are blank or incomplete on many projects, and contracts undervalued. How did they assess the value of the project and houses without BQs? Costs were continually increases as they went along. A blank cheque basically, hence the multi-billion dollar overrun.
Karl Blythe also intervened and insisted that contractors be given payments outside the agreed schedules. Houses never done... Bills werent submitted or approved but the Minister say Pay Them.
A report ordered by PJ Patterson revealed that some invoices were submitted TWICE for the same work and paid. In error ofc. One company, (watch the name) Daly, Thwaites and Company agreed to provide labour in exchange for repayment of the duplicated payments. #OperationPride
To stop the loss, watch this, Houses that were being built for Young Professionals, Nurses, Teachers, Police and other Civil Servants had to be sold on the open market to better off persons. This was not the purpose of the project, but the Billions in Overruns Caused it.
When the PNP says they are bringing back #OperationPride it is a signal to their base. Ronald Thwaites, PNP MP came out bashing the PJ-Ordered report. He said it was flawed (like the duplicate payments made to Daly, Thwaites and Co.).
If those 130,000 houses have anything to do with #OperationPride, I hope the thousands of Jamaicans who made deposits since the 90s get their houses finally.
