Instead of weighing in on the optics of Cabinet ministers having family and political connections to Ministry of Defense suppliers, Cabinet Minister Kareem Musa is steering the conversation in a different direction. Faced with questions about those relationships, Musa offered a cautious response, insisting that the focus should not be on who is benefiting from government contracts, but on whether taxpayers are getting the best deal possible. In his view, the key test is simple: can the supplier provide the goods or services at the lowest cost while delivering value for money?
Paul Lopez
“Do you frown on the revealed familial and political ties between your Cabinet colleagues and theses suppliers?”
Kareem Musa
Kareem Musa, Cabinet Minister
“I think you are referring to the Miras?”
Paul Lopez
“There is the Miras, the Cabinet Secretary, the Prime Minister’s brother.”
Kareem Musa
“Again, that is something to be determined by the auditor general’s findings. But I guess we can speak on the Mira issue, but those are companies that were incorporated long before the minister actually became the Minister of Home Affairs and they were supplying to the government, although not at that scale. So those are established companies.”
Paul Lopez
“MP Farms was registered under the PUP administration.”
Kareem Musa
“I am not sure. I think I understand it had a name; Mira produce or something like that. But those same individuals changed the name of the company to MP Farms. I don’t know though.”
Paul Lopez
“But do you support that kind of business?”
Kareem Musa
“I support transparency. And where we go from here is extremely important. So putting out the bid. So if the Mira are offering the vegetables at a lower cost than Save-U or Brodies or whichever other vegetable suppliers, then it should go to the Miras, but then it should be published for transparency purposes.”
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