Democrat pulls up BMA over purchase of musical equipment
DEMOCRAT Party member Wilas Chanpitak yesterday accused the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) of obscure procurement practices and alleged that specifications favoured certain firms. The allegation was about the Bt1.3-billion purchase of musical i
Hence, he called on the premier to use absolute power granted under the interim charter’s Article 44 to get the city to cover any losses in accordance with the Public Intervening Responsibility Act 1996.
Wilas asked if the instruments were procured following the preferred specifications, noting that the terms of reference had clear details of what instruments were required and only three companies joined the bidding.
He said in 2008, the BMA spent Bt14 million to procure musical instruments for 10 pilot schools – each school got one piano, 15 keyboards and 30 guitars. In 2009, the BMA spent Bt250 million to purchase instruments for 90 schools. In 2014, BMA spent Bt587 million to purchase instruments for 197 schools – 187 of which did not even have music teachers – while also earmarking Bt14 million for “efficiency-enhancing” training for music teachers, Wilas added.
“It should be noted that when the instruments were bought in 2014, there were no music teachers to give lessons. What were the instruments required for at that time?” he asked, adding that no survey had been carried out to see if the schools did indeed require such instruments, especially since not many schools even had the facilities for music lessons.
He also said that 69 schools in 2014 had less than 200 pupils, which made the purchase of 40 instruments for these schools unfathomable. He also said the fact that each school could seek Bt20,000 per year in maintenance costs for each instrument only opened the door to corruption.
He alleged that less than 10 per cent of the purchased 437 pianos had been used, adding that the BMA should have assessed the procurement’s worthiness on a yearly basis so they could better decide whether the instruments should be bought the next year.
The prices were also far too high, he said, adding that for instance the BMA bought electric drum sets for Bt65,000 each when the retail price for the item was just Bt38,000.
He said he would submit evidence to back up his allegations to the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the Office of the Auditor-General so they could look into these claims.
He called on city officials to reveal true facts so they can be protected as witnesses and can provide useful testimony for the case.
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