Flimsy PEDA bid gets English sign-off

Bill English today confirmed that on the strength of what can only be described as a flimsy 6 page proposal he was happy to hand over nearly $5 million dollars of taxpayer money, Su’a William Sio said today.

“For weeks I have been asking the Government to come clean over the funding given to the Pacific Economic Development Agency Limited (PEDA) in May’s Budget,” Su’a William Sio said.

“Now I know why Pacific Island Affairs Minister Georgina te Heuheu has been so evasive, uninformed and confused whenever I have asked her questions in Parliament. It’s because Deputy Prime Minister Bill English has been driving the deal through.

“Mr English needs to explain why, when he is demanding line-by-line reviews of Government spending, he is prepared to give PEDA nearly $5 million based on a proposal that would draw suspicion from loan sharks.

“Bill English needs to tell Kiwis why this process was so shoddy and why other organisations did not have an equal opportunity to bid for this funding in an open tender process.

“The Deputy PM also needs to make it clear who he has met with to discuss the PEDA proposal and when.

“PEDA is a virtually unknown organisation in the Pacific community in Auckland. I have real concerns whether it can deliver what it has promised to communities.

ENDS

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