Director general for the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) Commander Alvin Gayle came under immediate challenge in Parliament last Wednesday after suggesting that demand for some Starlink devices had lessened as Hurricane Melissa recovery progressed. Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairman Julian Robinson dismissed the explanation, arguing that many communities remained without reliable telecommunications for months after the hurricane as Members of Parliament questioned why 80 of the 200 devices procured by ODPEM had not been deployed. The exchange unfolded during a meeting of Parliament’s PAC, which was examining the auditor general’s compliance audit into governance, procurement activities and the receipt and distribution of Starlink devices under the Hurricane Melissa relief initiative.
The audit found that while 200 Starlink devices, valued at $12.12 million, were procured by ODPEM, 80 remained in storage at the Office of the Commissioner of Police when auditors conducted their verification, while all 41 devices physically inspected at eight recipient entities were also found to be unused. The issue was raised by Member of Parliament for St Mary South Eastern Christopher Brown, who questioned why nearly half of the devices remained unused. “I noticed that, of the 200 Starlink, I read where, based on the auditor general’s audit, 80 remain unused...
Is it that there is an issue with them because that is close to 50 per cent?” Brown said. Responding, Gayle said the devices were not defective and suggested that operational requirements may have changed as the emergency response evolved. It is more than 200 Starlink [devices] that were handed over to the Jamaica Constabulary Force.
However, Robinson immediately challenged that reasoning. “I don’t think that could be the case, and again, there are members here from affected areas who would agree that absolutely couldn’t be the case… I mean, in some areas, they had no light, so they wouldn’t have telecom provision. So I would say at least for the first six to seven months …
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