Tonight, Prime Minister John Briceno is, in a sense, trying to dismantle the political atomic bomb called Oscar Mira, which means he's moving very carefully to deal with an explosive and expanding scandal of private businesses feeding at the public trough.
While many in his party - made anxious by the recent revelations - would have hoped for quick and decisive action to stanch the bleeding - when Jules Vasquez caught the PM today in the village of San Roman Rio Hondo - he proposed a more circumspect strategy - like an audit:
Jules Vasquez
"You are apprised of the Oscar Mira situation: What do you plan to do? And what do you think of what has been exposed so far?"
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Well, the first thing is that, today I am speaking with the Financial Secretary, for him to to ask the Auditor General to, to go and to do an audit into that period in question and to to ensure that one, that there has value for money. Secondly, that, not the procurement process was, was followed, properly and then to, to get a report."
"I don't want to prejudice the report. So I'm hoping then that we could be able to get that report on based on the report then we can act."
Jules Vasquez
"From a political perspective, though, the PUP is hemorrhaging because this is seen as a family enterprise eating off the government. That's the public perception. Will you will you attend to it from any political perspective? Do you think that maybe Mr Mira has to be moved from that ministry, or put on suspension."
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Well, Mr Mira is not in that Ministry, Mr Mira is Minister of police."
Jules Vasquez
"Yes, yes that's right. From the Ministry of Home Affairs."
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"So, it is, this is before I can say mek we take a look at the report. And then I think I'd be in a better position to decide what would be the next step."
