Minister of Home Affairs Oscar Mira stepped up to the microphones on Wednesday, finally breaking his silence, but the exchange was over almost as quickly as it began. In just ten minutes, and with reporters closing in on tough questions, officials abruptly pulled the minister away, twice, cutting short any chance of a deeper explanation. Pressed on mounting concerns over procurement practices within the Ministry of Defense, where he also served as Minister of State, Mira kept his answers brief and firm. He denied any involvement, insisting he had no hand in contract decisions. Still, the quick exit and repeated deflections did little to settle the issue. Instead, they’ve intensified scrutiny over who is responsible, how oversight is being handled, and what, if anything, the minister knew about contracts tied to his own family. Here’s News Five’s Paul Lopez with that story.
Oscar Mira
Oscar Mira, Minister of Home Affairs
“I don’t want to comment on any ifs, thank you so much.”
Stacy Smith
Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
“We have a reception that the minister and the commissioner needs to move on to.”
Under intense public scrutiny and amid explosive allegations, Minister Oscar Mira faced questions on a matter of national importance. But just ten minutes into the exchange, the interview didn’t just end, it was cut short twice, cutting off answers as criticism continued to mount.
Oscar Mira
“The LIU program is happening right now as we speak.”
Stacy Smith
“Remember we are here today for the medal ceremony, we are awaiting the reception and the longer you guys take.”
Instead of staying to answer more questions, Minister Oscar Mira was swiftly ushered out to attend a reception, raising questions about what matters most at a time when people are demanding answers. And when he did respond, his answers offered little new insight, sticking closely to the same lines throughout.
Oscar Mira
“Let me just make clear that I sit on no procurement committee. I had no say, I had no influence and I had never in my ministry or any other ministry try to influence the decision of that committee. I had no say. I was not part of those committees. If they did so, not with my influence. It’s a long process and a process I had no say. I was not part of it. It is not me who makes decisions, it is a committee that sits together. I am not aware because I am not part of those committees. I have nothing to do with how government pays their contractors or suppliers. I have nothing to do as minister with how the minister of finance pays. That is not my decision, I don’t know. But that has nothing to do with me as a minister of state or the minister now. As a minister or a minister of state, I really don’t have a say in the procurement. That committee as I have said before, I was not privy to be part of them. I has never been.”
In just ten minutes, Minister Mira repeated the same response more than a dozen times, sidestepping the real issue instead of addressing it head-on. That leaves a pressing question for us: how could he not know that his own siblings were securing lucrative contracts and receiving large sums of taxpayer money from the very ministry he helped to oversee? When News Five caught up with Minister of Infrastructure Development and Housing, Julius Espat, we put that question directly to him, who’s responsible for knowing?
Julius Espat
Julius Espat, Minister of Infrastructure Development and Housing
“The truth is the minister needs to be advised, that is why he has a CEO. That is why he has an FO, an AO, everyone has a role to play. If you are seeing something happening that you are not comfortable with, it is your responsibility to report it. Boss we the pay too much, this thing nuh correct, or this name is appearing too much, or this one will look bad. None of us are perfect, but we have to take our jobs seriously. If you don’t know you ask and if you still don’t know then you go study. You have to be able to be aware of the product you are administering, so that the product is a good one.”
Minister Mira says he never bothered to look into it. While serving in the Ministry of Defense, he insisted it simply wasn’t his responsibility to find out. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.
Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.
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