PM says NCL is fair game to getting contracts

Dean Barrow

In the same interview in which those comments were aired, Minister of State Mark King stated that he is lobbying Norwegian Cruise Lines on behalf of a security company he owns. King wants to provide security for the cruise tourism destination down south at Harvest Caye. PM Barrow has no problem with that. He says it’s not like King is getting a contract with government. That would be wrong, but NCL is fair game.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow

“Now that’s a different matter. He has a security firm. He is not seeking to get a contract from government; that is where there would be a difficulty. If he did so in a way that did not ensure the complete insulation of any influence that he has as a minister with respect to the award of a government contract, but his business continues. My law firm continues; I am not there and I don’t go about seeking business for the law firm. But whoever is running a security outfit has every right in the name of the company to put in a bid for services that are being contracted by a private outfit. I would hope that NCL would know that in determining whom to give their contract to, they should not be influenced in the least by the fact that one of the bidders is a company owned by Mark King. That noh fi cut no ice. They should operate on merit and their project in any event has been green lighted so it is not as if though they can feel bwai we better give Mark King otherwise government wah stop wi project. That has been green lighted. So, Lord man, if the man’s company can’t get government contracts, yo wah also say that ih can’t get private contracts? What is it to get then? The company has a right to continue, his business has a right to continue. So I can’t fault him in that regard at all, at all, at all.”