But every stage of the project, from design to tendering is managed by UNOPS – no contracts are being assigned, awarded or influenced by anyone in government. That’s a sharp deviation from business as usual – and usually, “business†means someone pockets a kickback. In fact, the Marion Jones Stadium where today’s event was hosted might be a prime example of that. But that can’t happen with this new facility because of the presence of UNOPS, and we asked the Minister of State how much the difference means to him:…
Jules Vasquez
"Because it's run through UNOPS which is a UN agency no one can contact the contractor and say hey I mi get you that contract I need a lee 10%. These are things that happen in government that nobody likes to talk about but they're real. Were you alienated by this process which went through UNOPS agency?"
Hon. Elodio Aragon Jr. - Minister of State, Youth, Sports, Culture
"None at all, none at all Jules; I think it’s all about accountability and it’s all about value for money that is what I've always talked about, value for money. And I think if we are going to get an investment especially a donation coming from Mexico it is imperative that we get value for money."
Jules Vasquez
"However might you agree that the place where this contract is signed is almost a cathedral to loss of value for money? We do not have a functional space here despite how many millions were spent. The Taiwanese gave so many millions, they did not get value for money at Marion Jones because of this local system of graft where everybody fi get and kick back and a 10%."
Hon. Elodio Aragon Jr. - Minister of State, Youth, Sports, Culture
"Well Jules I wasn't here during that time so I can't really comment on that. I could tell you yes we are not blinded by looking at Marion Jones and where it is at this point in time but I look at it as an opportunity for us to get this done and whatever ways we can work to get it done, that is what I'm focusing on to bring this to an end. Right now there's a lot of things we are doing behind the scenes in trying to see where we could secure funding to finish Marion Jones."
Jules Vasquez
"However might you agree then that if an agency like UNOPS had been involved from the outset in Marion Jones? If those funders the Taiwanese had put their money through UNOPS instead of into the hands of the government of Belize we would have a finished facility, we would have gotten value for money but as it stands right now the untold millions and I specify nobody can tell me how many millions has been spent on Marion Jones and we still do not have a functional facility. It would have been different if it had gone through UNOPS, let's admit."
Hon. Elodio Aragon Jr. - Minister of State, Youth, Sports, Culture
"Well Jules I can't admit that out right because I don't know all the factors like I said."
Jules Vasquez
"And you don't know how many millions either."
Hon. Elodio Aragon Jr. - Minister of State, Youth, Sports, Culture
"Neither but what I'm telling you right now is that when we look at where the investment for Marion Jones is - remember Marion Jones wasn't a project that started with a set budget and saying okay here is 10 million dollars from start to finish. It never came to be that situation; what happened from what I understand a donation from the Taiwanese embassy and along with government which would have matched up funds and then they started the project without an end date and that is the situation and that is what I think has led us to where we are right now."
Reporter
"So you believe if we put the processes of our projects in external hands to supervise we will get more accountability than if our own government is supervising them?"
Hon. Elodio Aragon Jr. - Minister of State, Youth, Sports, Culture
"Not really you know because you have to understand a foreign entity here, they are not here on charity you know, they get paid to be here. So a large amount of that money they will also collect a certain amount of money for administrative cost etc. for salaries, for the people that are here overseeing those projects. What I'm saying is you have your benefits and you have your disadvantages. My thing is what we need is to have proper accounting and to do that we need to have processes that will work, that will be fair, objective and that we will eliminate the - like Jules said that 10% etc."
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