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MRP deal gets fresh Sujata kick
- Cribs she was kept in the dark
KATHMANDU, AUG 09 -
The Machine Readable Passport (MRP) purchase deal, which finally looked to be sealed this week, has hit yet another roadblock. Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala on Monday flatly refused to take the MRP deal to the Cabinet for its endorsement, claiming that government officials working on the MRP project had put her in the dark all along through various negotiations despite her repeated requests.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) was all set to sign the MRP deal with the French-based company, Oberthur, by Tuesday before Foreign Secretary Madan Kumar Bhattarai’s departure for Manila to attend an ADB programme. Bhattarai, however, is still hopeful that he will be able to get the deal done within the current timeline.
The MRP design contains 16 national insignias on each alternative page.
Efforts by Secretary Bhattarai and Chief of Protocol Mukti Nath Bhatta to convince the foreign minister to approve the design on Monday went in vain. “The MoFA officials are confused. No decision has been taken so far on the new response should Sujata continue to reject their MRP proposal,” said an official. Officials from Oberthur technologies are already in town to seal the deal with MoFA. Oberthur had bagged the deal after making the lowest bid — US $3.59 per copy.
“The sealing of the deal has now been postponed and will likely to take place only after Secretary Bhattarai returns from Manila and also if the foreign minister agrees to the deal,” an official said. Koirala, who has been opposing the deal since MoFA decided to award the contract to Oberthur, also declined to take any responsibility for the deal.
MoFA officials say that it is sure that Oberthur won’t be able to provide the first lot of the consignment of MRP copies within 70 days as per the tender document if the Cabinet and Sujata decline to approve the MRP design and the deal.
Officials from the Law Ministry on Sunday told MoFA that without authorised approval from the foreign minister, the deal would not have any legitimacy.
“I was kept in the dark ever since the tender was unveiled and all negotiations were done through the secretary Bhattarai’s signature. Why need me now?” Koirala told her ministry officials on Monday. Koirala first signed the documents of the design herself but later asked the Chief of Protocol to bring it back to her “for a final look.” She then invalidated her own signature and refused to put her signature when that was duly followed,” sources added.
Posted on: 2010-08-10 08:47
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