Raising of La Gogue dam project |22 February 2018

Minister refutes statement he allegedly made in the National Assembly

The Minister for Environment, Energy and Climate Change, Didier Dogley, has  categorically refuted the allegation made in the article entitled, ‘Committee on Government Assurances disappointed with the executive’s delivery rate’.

The article states, inter alia, that he (Minister Dogley) had given assurances that Sinohydro Corporation LTD would not be allowed to bring its own trucks but would outsource the services of local trucks.

The article was published in both the Seychelles NATION and Today in Seychelles newspapers on Monday February 19, 2018. 

“While I fully support the inclusion and participation of local businesses in national development projects, I also understand the need to respect the competitive tendering terms and conditions set by the Financing Institutions that finance such projects and also our own Procurement Act. To be able to make such a commitment one would have had to fully understand the nature and specificities of dam building and secured an agreement from the contracted company.  In the absence of both, such a commitment cannot be made.  Therefore, under no circumstances could I have given such a commitment,” says Minister Dogley in a statement issued yesterday.

In addition, Minister Dogley has highlighted the following points:

1.      I have tried to obtain a copy of the verbatim referred to in the article from the National Assembly secretariat but to date none has been forthcoming.  None of the verbatim posted on the National Secretariat website contains such an assurance.

2.      At no point in time, since the inception of the 6th National Assembly have I received a copy of any verbatim related to assurances I have given from the Committee on Government Assurances of National Assembly, including one pertaining to the raising of the La Gogue Dam project as it was customary with the previous National Assemblies.

3.      Sinohydro Corporation LTD only succeeded in winning the tender for the project on August 3, 2017 and at no time after that date was I in the National Assembly to answer any question on the La Gogue Dam raising project.

4.      I met with representatives of the Pick Up, Plant Hire and Truck Hire Association twice in the last quarter of 2017; the first meeting took place on October 19 and the second on December 18, 2017.  At both meetings it was agreed that PUC will facilitate the discussions with Sinohydro Corporation LTD, to provide members of the PPTHA with the opportunity to participate in the project.  On November 24, 2017 PUC formally wrote to Sinohydro Corporation LTD requesting that they procure locally available services such as labour and transportation.  Sinohydro Corporation LTD replied and confirmed in a letter to PUC, dated November 30, 2017, their willingness to meet with members of PPTHA and use their services.  Unfortunately, the members of PPTHA were unavailable to meet with Sinohydro Corporation LTD for various reasons until they decided to stage a protest at State House Avenue.