Jalil, Mitwah, Sir Cain, Redux and all you GNI soldiers please lets expand this thread for another few months. If we can put together many corruption examples here it would be very nice. Thank you. 

In fact Buddy sold the hotel at a hugh personal loss. Where is the evidence he made a profit? hahahahaha

That is in fact the main thing worth noting here -- Transparency International has very little to do with fighting corruption. It is an instrument of the "investor" community, used to punish nations that do not meekly submit to the demands of the "investors."

There is nothing you or I can do to change that. The fact is the INDEX uses the same methodology across all countries. PPPites can always ignore the index and turn totally to Chinese investments. Welcome to the world of more Skeldons and Moca Moca hydros. PPPites will be repaying debt for things that don't work. 

Sorry TK. If it wasn't for Skeldon factory, we would have seen massive unemployment, murders and robberies along the Corentyne. It might not be that efficient now; but time will improve that. It's still employing thousands of people. Because of the Skeldon factory(old and new) Corriverton has been a progressive area on the Corentyne. For the sake of the people of the Corentyne, I hope the factory can live up to it's expectations. I worked at the old Skeldon factory and the Local Accounts Office.

You don't seem to know what the problem is. The government spent almost US$200 mill on a modern sugar factory that would bring down the unit cost of sugar and do other things like co-generation. The fact is the new factory is working just like the old one. No advantage. Is that money well spent? While people are employed it is not achieving the performance targets. If the new is as good as the old, why spend US$200 mill? How much more of taxpayers' money must be spent for making the new better than the old? 

fascinating . . . on so many levels

I worked at the old factory in 1967. Believe me it was old and running down. How long it might have lasted? God knows. It had to be replaced; not sure if they went overboard.

1967? Skeldan yuh gat to be mekkin jokes. Yu nah know this a new century?

‘Fip’ Motilall secures US$12M for selling hydropower licence to Sithe Global

Makeshwar ‘Fip’ Motilall will receive at least US$12 million in profit from the entire affair.
Synergy Holdings was originally awarded the contract to construct the Amaila Falls Hydro Power

Makeshwar ‘Fip’ Motilall

 

Plant but after failing to secure financiers to back the project, was forced to sell his licence to Sithe Global.
A recent visit to Guyana by the top brass of Sithe Global, including its Chief Executive Officer Bruce Wrobel, afforded a chance for an answer to be had to the cost of the licence to Sithe Global.
Apart from disclosing Sithe Global’s rate of return on its US$152M investment in the hydroelectric project is 19 per cent, Wrobel also disclosed that Motilall will be walking away with some US$12M for flipping his licence to that company.
“Synergy is entitled under the agreement of the transfer of that asset to financial compensation upon successful completion of the project.”
Those were the words of James McGowan, Senior Vice President (Development) at Sithe Global and Wrobel disclosed this past week that the compensation will total some US$12M.
Wrobel says that the company is attempting to place a new face on things today as a result of the previous lamentations on the silence of all partners involved
“Our role is very clear….we are a builder, a designer, a developer of energy projects….we have never really encountered a situation before where the politics is so intermeshed in the power situation,” Wrobel said as he sought to explain why the company had remained silent for such a long time.
Wrobel said that the money will include some of the early preparatory works such as feasibility studies but should the project successfully close then Motilall earns some US$12M.
“His expenses including early works, come out of that,” Wrobel told this publication.
Synergy Holdings Inc. was first listed as the developer to design, build, own and operate a hydroelectric plant in Guyana.
In 2002, Synergy Holdings and Harza International were granted a licence by the Government of Guyana under the Hydro-Electricity Act for the development of a hydroelectric plant at Amaila Falls.
The licence was reportedly amended and extended in 2004 when Harza pulled out leaving Synergy as the sole licensee. The licence was again extended in 2006.
Synergy Holdings was granted a US$15.4 million contract to build the access roads to the proposed site for the hydropower plant. That contract was rescinded on January 12 last.
Synergy Holdings Inc in 2007 identified Sithe Global as a potential investor in the project.

Replacing the PPP gov't with the current opposition will lead to starvation and greater corruption. They run things for 28 years and you don't want me to tell you what they did to Guyana.

The “C” in PPP/C now, on empirical evidence, unmistakably stands for Corruption

Dear Billy Ram Balgobin,

In his presentation at the awards dinner of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry last Thursday Mr. Clinton Urling, the Chamber’s President included in his wish list for Guyana a stronger civil society. In the course of his presentation Mr. Urling not only referred to the work of the Transparency Institute of Guyana Inc. but also echoed a recent call by that young organisation – made on the day Transparency International released its 2012 world Corruption Perceptions Index – for measures to enhance accountability, combat corruption and strengthen governance.

Mr. Urling would most likely have been aware that only a few hours before he spoke the youth arm of the ruling party had attacked Transparency Institute, singling out its highly respected Vice-president Dr. Anand Goolsarran for its vituperation, and severely chastising Transparency International for daring to include Guyana in its 2012 survey. Significantly, even if Mr. Urling was aware of the attack, he offered no comment or defence of a civil society organisation in the presence of two Ministers of Government, Messrs. Irfaan Ally and Robert Persaud.
One day later, PPP/C Governance czarina Ms. Gail Teixeira took the PYO vulgarity one notch down when she dismissed the 2012 CPI by stating that “only four persons were surveyed [by TI] as it related to Guyana’. She even suggested that they must all be male! Surely anyone who knows anything about surveys would know that no sane person would regard a sample of four as representative or reliable of any population and that such a statement simply could not be right. Indeed, Ms. Teixeira was wrong, very wrong.

The Transparency International website discloses that for its 2012 CPI with respect to Guyana, TI used four surveys, which in total, and even allowing for overlap, would have covered hundreds of individuals and organisations. The four surveys were Global Insight, World Bank’s Control of Corruption Index (WB), World Economic Forum and the International Country Risk Guide.

If this better information does not have any impact on Ms. Teixeira and her “youths”, it is inevitable that any discourse in Guyana would continue to be backward-looking, uncivil and profoundly infected by manipulation and distortions.

 The leadership of the PPP/C must be in dreamland if it does not realise that for many Guyanese, the “C” in PPP/C has long since ceased to represent any evaporated Civic and now, on empirical evidence as well as well-founded perception, unmistakably stands for Corruption.

L. C. Ram

Misguided assumption?

No, just stupidness.

TI used four surveys, which in total, and even allowing for overlap, would have covered hundreds of individuals and organisations. The four surveys were Global Insight, World Bank’s Control of Corruption Index (WB), World Economic Forum and the International Country Risk Guide.

It's a well founded perception that the "C"  unmistakably stands for Corruption.

only the ppp low life on this site do not know the ppp is corrupt,i wonder why,some of them is getting a little of the action

 "bête noir"...Kaieteur news is getting high strung in its phraseology!

Can you write some sense? Stop posting this nonsense.

you is one of the thief you rob skeltton estate and run away to new york

 How about accepting the are crooks and advocating change to the status quo rather than settle for  your mangy dog crooks because you know them? It is a fall back position I once took and now they have exceeded the PNC in all areas of crookery do you not think you need to take a second look? It would take panglossian optimism to see any redemptive quality in the PPP of today. Very few remain who would walk that road willfully except for the die hard racist.

An empirical statement as ever there is a need for an example of one.

or bare face thief

The Region Six administration will be launching an investigation into allegations that a councillor on the Regional Works Committee, who is attached to the Alliance For Change (AFC) has attempted to solicit bribes from a contractor.
Rohan Jaggassar is being accused of approaching Hardat Singh for monies on more than one occasion to sign an approval certificate for payment for work done.
In a statement, Singh, who is contracted to clean canals in Black Bush Polder, said he never paid any money to Jaggassar, despite several requests from the councillor.
The issue was brought to the Region Six Regional Democratic Council (RDC) on Thursday.
Regional Chairman David Armogan said the matter will be fully investigated, noting that it is the government that is normally accused of corruption by the opposition.
“Now it looks as though the opposition is working in cahoots with the contractors,” Armogan said.
A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) representative Jauvane Stephens congratulated the regional chairman for bringing the issue to the RDC, and urged a speedy investigation into the matter.
People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Councillor Philip Rose supported the investigation, pointing out that corruption is plaguing society.
“All must take ownership and operate above board.”
Regional Vice Chairman and Works Committee head Baupaul Jagroo told the council that anyone found guilty of any such act should be expelled, while AFC Councillor Ervin Abullah in support of his colleagues said the investigators must look to see if the contractor’s work was poor, hence, the non-payment.
Jaggassar said the contractor produces the poorest quality work in the region and expects payment for it.
He, however, admitted to signing certificates indicating that the said contractor has produced work to Jaggassar’s satisfaction and should be paid.
The regional chairman said if that is so, then the AFC councillor may be guilty of fraud.
The investigating team is being headed by the regional executive officer and includes a member from each of the three political parties.

Thank you for posting these links Conscience. You are helping the people from TI and other global bodies judge in which political party the problem really exists. Very good contribution. 

when you ppp is doing this kind of shit the most you could do is dress the brother better than that,at least a nice shirt with a tie

Dont you think we are long due for an audit of thee expenditure on the 2005 flood where billions of dollars  were disbursed..despite a promise?

How about  expenditure the cricket world cup, the cricket stadium and Carifesta?  Do we know who used up the credit for rooms at  Buddy’s Hotel? He had a million in the bank and received a tidy sum on selling to the Russians

Then there is  Dolphin gate, Pradoville II, NCN, Marriott, Radio licenses, giving away 4% of our land to an Indian we know nothing of, the selling of Lenora etc etc

But we already know the PPP thinks Guyana is their grandfather's property an all of us are mere renters with no say how they rob us.

You dumb bat jackass. Do you know Skeldon from Skeltton?
Can you not read? I don't live in NY. Back to first grade for you.

Hahahah...de man Canscience a do abie wan fava foh true. He suh stuipdee lika a Skeldan dat he post lil stupid corruptshun and ignore de big deal. Dem pagalee juss like Skeldan.

Aye Skello Minasoat cole today? Wah yuh shout fah?

you old skelton thief,i have it right,you is a skelton

Remember dis waan . . .  de "contract" coming up for renewal March 2013.

Ball in the Opposition court . . . time overdue to nail this exemplar of tiefman governance and open eyepass.

________________________________________

Strategic Security Services awarded $1.1 B contract to secure state property FEBRUARY 4, 2012 | BY KNEWS | FILED UNDER NEWS - Whittaker warns against “watchmen”

The government yesterday signed over a $1.1 billion contract to a single firm to provide security for state properties in all ten administrative regions. The winning contractor, Richard Kanhai, of Strategic Security Service, said he was “delighted” to have received the contract, saying that his company was not new to the business, having once served five regions in the country.
Minister within the Ministry of Local Government, Norman Whittaker, cautioned the firm that the government was not looking for “watchmen” and he hoped that the able security personnel would be recruited.

Richard Kanhai receivesthe $1.1 billion security contract from Minister Norman Whittaker.

Minister of Local Government Ganga Persaud also warned that should there be lapses on the part of the security firm, resulting in loss of property or other assets, the firm would be held “accountable and answerable.” He said that the Ministry has requested that the security personnel be able, alert and have the necessary training, attitude and behavior which are necessary for the provision of an effective security service.
Strategic Security Service will begin the one year contract at the beginning of March. Currently, Homesafe Security and Domestic Services and RK Security Services have contracts for various regions. The change in contracts occurred as a result of a tender process, followed by a “no objection” from Cabinet, and then the eventual award by the National Tender Board and Procurement Administration.
The contract was signed between the security firm, the Ministry of Local Government and the Regional Executive Officers of the ten regions. Minister Persaud said that it is expected that the locations which have been identified for the provision of security services would be provided with “consistent services.”
The contractor is being paid with respect to the provision of security service in the various regions, where the number of locations that has to be secured varies. In Region One, for the 84 locations that have to be secured, the contractor will receive $104.6 million. For Region Two, the contract is for $143.9 million, for provision of security services at 99 locations. In Region Three, 147 locations have to be covered, for which the contractor will receive $150.7 million. The contract for Region Four is valued at $254.4 million, mandating the contractor to secure 146 locations. In Region Five, 61 sites have to be secured at a cost of $74.1 million. In Region Six, the contractor will be paid $224.9 million to protect 117 locations.
A total of 28 locations will be secured in Region Seven for the sum of $40.1 million, while in Region Eight; the contractor will receive $6 million to secure 7 locations. In Region Nine, $20.8 million will be paid for securing 18 locations, while the 82 locations in Region Ten will be secured at a cost of $87 million.

There is a lot wrong with the NIS

The season of Christmas is here, and with it comes the time when I want to remember those things that made me enjoy my childhood and actually fashioned my life. It is the time when I look at the less fortunate and see their smiles as though they are rich beyond compare.

Indeed, the poor are happier than the rich; they do not have and they do not know what it is to have, so their life is one of contentment with whatever they get that makes their lives slightly better. However, this is something that I will be talking about in the coming weeks. Today I am focusing on those who are also poor and who look forward to the little pension they get from the National Insurance Scheme (NIS).

I am one of those pensioners, but I allow it to pile up so that when I receive it I do get something substantial. Indeed, my pension should have been greater, but there are some missing years from my contributions.

I worked from the time the scheme came into existence and I began paying what was asked of me. Those were the years when the employer was required to buy stamps and I had my book. At any time I could have asked the headmaster of my school to allow me to check on my contributions. But that book system changed; the world eventually went the way of the computer so the clerks, wherever they happened to be, simply noted my contribution and made the requisite recordings.
Today, there are people nearing the time when they are supposed to be collecting whatever they should and like me, there will be the missing records. It is strange that the government is allowed to make the kinds of mistakes it does with impunity. If for some reason I had slipped up with income tax or even the NIS contribution I would have been punished, even prosecuted.

So the NIS is actually saving money by not paying me for the missing years and earning an interest on that sum. And there are many like me who contribute doubly to the Scheme. This must be a tidy sum, but the scheme is telling the nation that it is operating at a deficit. It is paying out more money than it is receiving.
An individual who is living in this way would attempt to control his spending, although there are those who continue along their merry way and end up in so much debt that they simply cannot pay. I have known some of them to end up in court, but because they owned nothing, there was nothing that the debtor could levy on.
The NIS could easily be placed in this category of spenders. I remember going to Berbice to see the $69 million construction that to my mind should have cost so much less. Right next door was a building that had three times the floor space on a foundation that was superior to the one that the NIS constructed. That building was being sold for $33 million and the owner was making a healthy profit.

There and then I realized that the Scheme wasted money, some of my money. But what was more disturbing was the fact that the Scheme, in the quest to invest and so build on its deposit base, made a substantial investment in Clico. Clico collapsed, and with that collapse, many pensioners were placed in a position of not being able to collect what was due to them.

Scarcely a day goes by without people telling me that they are being pushed around by the NIS. And the Scheme has every good reason to push them around. If it is paying out more than it can collect then it must do something to cut back on the payout.

The Chairman, Dr Roger Luncheon, actually said to me that the Scheme has a large deposit and that there is no way that it would run out of money in the immediate future. Well if that is the case then there should not have been so many complaints. Indeed the Scheme had told people that once they paid their contributions it would record the payment and deal with the employer. But even this is a problem.
When one considers that the NIS put some US$4 million into the construction of the Caricom Secretariat and another large sum in the Berbice River Bridge, one should have been feeling proud of the Scheme. But when it is realized that the Scheme is getting no return from the Berbice Bridge, even as private investors are, then one must worry about their money.

However, there is a plan to compensate for the wasted money. People are going to be asked to pay more and others are going to have to wait even longer to qualify. One reality is that many did not live to qualify at sixty. Now that the proposal is for the retirement age to be extended to sixty-five, even more people will not live to qualify.

I now understand the saying, “You win some and you lose some.”

Ms. Teixeira dismisses Guyana Corruption Report: Is she Correct?

Dear Editor,

Pronouncements made by Governance Advisor Gail Teixeira on corruption are indeed interesting, having dismissed the ranking on corruption in Guyana by Transparency International (TI). Specifically, Ms. Teixeira asserts that because TI conducts a non-empirical survey, their work cannot be trusted.

While her position seems a reasonable one, everyone knows that to obtain empirical evidence on corruption is almost impossible, especially when there are poor accounting systems in a cash driven economy; when there are information problems and compromised oversight functions; when there are high tax rates, bureaucratic delays and underpaid public officials; and when there is illegal wealth accumulation without tax compliance. These are all precursors to corruption, indicating that if Guyana has any of these concerns, then corruption exists.

Incidentally, corruption exists in many, if not all, countries. It is a problem both of degree and of kind, and it is as old as civilization itself. Corruption could be different from one location to the next and the degree to which it may manifest itself depends on the personalities, policies and penalties in different countries. Consequently, for anyone to give the impression that it does not exist, such a person is removed from reality.

It should be noted also that corruption goes together with ‘cover-up’. One does not exist without the other, for if you have corruption you must have a ‘cover-up’, in order to keep things in the dark and away from public scrutiny. For this reason cases of corruption can be difficult to prove beyond some legal threshold or standard. Typically, corruption involves transactions that are not easily detectable. Usually, there are no written contracts; and even if they are, these contracts are not enforceable, or those who have a public responsibility to enforce the law may not want to enforce them.

A consequence of corruption is that it spawns an extensive underground economy and legitimate businesses that obey the rules and pay taxes are forced out of existence because of unfair competition. For example, money laundering and efforts aimed to make drug money clean could be invested in a ‘front activity’ that provides goods and services at cheaper prices than tax paying businesses. And is it not interesting that Ms. Teixeira once said that Guyanese should boycott businesses run by drug dealers and their cohorts? Did her singular pronouncement have any empirical evidence? Was anyone named, charged or found guilty in the Courts of Guyana? The record would show that nothing was done about the drug person or persons who Ms. Teixeira identified without naming them; and had she remained as Minister of Home Affairs, I am confident she would have executed a clean-up. But this course of action was not pursued as she was removed without reason from the Ministry where she could have made a difference. Consequently, the outcome of her pronouncement was that no follow up was undertaken by her successor. Is this a cover-up, is this corruption or both? What is your considered opinion?

Meanwhile, paying bribes to gatekeepers in order to by-pass the rules for paying taxes at ports of entry and exit are events that are not unheard of. President Ramotar recently lamented such a case in relation to the gold smuggling matter in Curacao. Awarding public projects through compromised tendering and poor selection criteria that result in shoddy work (contacts for roads, wharfs, school construction and books, among others) and no penalties enforced are examples that are not unfamiliar to Guyanese. Unexplained wealth that appears as if someone has found a magic lamp with wishes of endless money and wealth are usually symptomatic of corruption and ‘cover-up’ as such persons cannot explain their wealth and do not have tax compliance certificates associated with their income and wealth accumulation.

So how do you deal with corruption and cover-up? We need strong public institutions (police, audit department and firms, Courts).We need laws and rules that promote the public interest such as whistle blower protection and professional investigative reporting as observed so many years ago in the Watergate Scandal that terminated President Nixon’s tenure in office (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watergate_scandal). President Donald Ramotar has spoken out against corruption, but no action has been taken so far. We await his lead on this issue.

Finally, corruption is like the wind. We do not see the wind, but we know it exists, as it rustles through the leaves on a tree. We know the wind exists because of the effects of Sandy on the environment; and we know the wind exists because it caresses our faces as we stroll along the seawall when the tide is up. But there is one caveat: while we cannot control the wind, we certainly can control corruption, for it is man-made. Take concrete action President Ramotar, you need to clean house.

C. Kenrick Hunte

The crass, vulgar, shameless and disgraceful attack on Transparency International

Dear Editor,
Attorney General Anil Nandlall has joined the pack of attack dogs that jumped on Transparency International (TI) on the publication of its 2012 Corruption Perceptions Index. Because Mr. Nandlall is a member of a profession which calls itself learned, is known for its members researching before speaking, and speaking with a certain sense of responsibility and decorum, I thought it might be useful to examine how Mr. Nandlall’s statement stacks up against those standards.
Mr. Nandlall accused TI of:
1. Failing to disclose “the empirical data or sources that they examined to arrive at those conclusions”.
2. Not stating the methodology as to how the organisation ended up at its findings (sic).
3. Not disclosing who they spoke to, which institutions organisations or which documents they consulted.
4. “Gross dereliction” by arriving at baseless disclosures.
5. Failure to say where corruption exists, be it at the government, public or private sector.
6. Failure to examine the institutional mechanisms which are in place constitutionally, legislatively or departmentally.
7. Being insulting and disrespectful to Guyana and Guyanese.
Points 1, 2, 3 and 4 are all on the same issue: that Transparency International did not disclose vital information and sources.
If Mr. Nandlall had taken the elementary research step of going on TI’s website he would learn that the basis for inclusion of a country/territory in the CPI is a minimum of three of the CPI’s data sources. The website also identifies CPI’s 2012 data sources as: i) African Development Bank (ADB); ii) Bertelsmann Foundation (German non-profit foundation); iii) International Institute for Management Development (IMD); iv) World Competitiveness Yearbook; v) International Country Risk Guide (ICRG); vi) World Bank; vii) World Economic Forum (WEF); viii) World Justice Project; ix)) Economist Intelligence Unit, x) Global Insight; xi) Political Economic Risk Consultancy (Asian); xii) Transparency International Bribe Payers Survey; and Freedom House (no, not that one).
If Mr. Nandlall had acted more responsibly, he would have learnt that in the case of Guyana, there were four sources: ICRG, WB, WEF and Global Insight and that a country’s score on the index is a simple average of its data sources.
Point 5 is even worse in terms of Nandlall’s research efforts. I find it embarrassing that the Attorney General of this country does not by now know that the definition of corruption in the TI lexicon is “misuse of public office for private gain”. Perhaps he is more familiar with relevant examples such as Pradoville 1 and 2; the misuse of duty-free concessions; and paying out of the Treasury so-called advisors to the President and the Local Government Minister to work at Nandlall’s party Freedom House.
Mr. Nandlall should and could have served his and the country’s interest by challenging the local Institute to start speaking out on private sector corruption including tax evasion and money laundering. He must be personally aware that members of his and other professions as well as aggressive law firms not only engage in these practices for their own direct benefit but also in aiding and abetting others to do so.
Once Mr. Nandlall understands my comments on points 1 to 5 above, he will realise that point 6 is not relevant to his argument. I cannot believe that the holder of such a distinguished public office does not recognise that in his attempt to discredit others, he ought not to be relying on laws that are on the statute books but not in operation. Any person would know that rather than prevent and punish, it actually perpetuates corruption if the Procurement Commission is not established ten years after it became a mandatory constitutional requirement; if there is an Integrity Commission without commissioners; an Access to Information Act not brought into force sixteen months after passage; and a Judicial Review Act not brought into force two years after passage.
On disrespect and insult, readers might wish to consider whether Mr. Nandlall’s failures do not amount to an insult to his own intelligence, that of the legal profession and to the expectation of Guyanese to have an Attorney General who is informed, responsible, temperate and accurate.
Finally, I researched the recent publications of leading newspapers in Zimbabwe and Pakistan which had much worse ratings than Guyana in the 2012 Index. In fact, in the case of Pakistan, the 2012 CPI was sensationally misreported by stating that Pakistan was the “33rd most corrupt country in the world”. That report wrongly assumed that all the countries of the world were covered in the survey. Some twenty countries were not.
Yet I could not see any article or statement in which the governments of Pakistan and Zimbabwe engage in any attack on Transparency International or their national chapters, let alone the crass, vulgar, shameless and disgraceful manner in which Mr. Nandlall, Ms. Gail Teixeira, the PPP/C and the PYO have done in the case of Guyana.
L. C. Ram

Aye gal, na worry, me live hey fu ah lang time an me get use to dis. Weaklings na live hey. Me get good winta jacket an boots. Yu can always add moe clothes fu keep warm. Wen me ah piss pan ah ground, me piss ah freeze in about 10 seconds. Me tuff. Me like cold wedda. If me survive 40-50 degrees below zero, 10 degrees above zero nah nuttin. De cold wedda ah keep all dem criminals inside.

Warria: Bai me na worry yu. Yu ah wan scratch recard. Yu recard ah play de same ting all de time. Me andastan why yu only write the same ting all de time. Time fu fargive yu. Me na go waste time pan yu. Me hear yu ah wan coolie-blackman? God bless yu. 

Rampant corruption is now exposed

It is not by accident that Kaieteur News opted to put the spotlight on corruption. Indeed, there has always been corruption but these days, the plague has reached unprecedented proportions. I still remember the days when the party that now forms the government kept accusing the previous administration of corruption.

In fact, I was at the centre of some of those discussions. I always asked the accusers to show me where the stolen money was and they would tell me that the money is hidden in foreign banks. I then asked about the wisdom of having money just for the sake of having it. The people who were accused of raiding the public treasury lived in houses that can by no stretch of the imagination be described as opulent.

Twenty years later, I am still to see this stolen money come out. But in that time I have seen the sudden increase in wealth of the people who now form the government. It could not be that they had what was known as old money.  They have nothing short of palaces and their bank accounts have already split the seams.

I have also looked at the functioning of some areas. NICIL is just one. Another is the use of the Lotto funds. Then there are the awards of contracts. At one time, Kaieteur News focused on the contractors, and it was this that led to the spotlight being placed on the people in the administration. The contractors simply said that they had to pay some engineer or Minister in order to be awarded a contract.

Because the contractor would not go on the record, the newspaper could not treat such reports as facts. In a court of law there would have been no defence. The Brazilians spoke of paying people inside the Home Affairs Ministry, huge sums of money to secure work permits. But this was chicken feed when compared to the money that the so-called big ones collected.

In more recent times, we have now seen the preponderance of Chinese contractors. For a long time I have been hearing and reading that the Chinese were no different from other Asiatics when it came to pursuing a certain goal. They would do this aggressively and they know that there is nothing like money to sweeten the pot.

We now have a lot of Chinese undertaking every major project in Guyana. The multi-million-dollar cable being strung by Guyana Power and Light is being done by the Chinese. One thought that the offer was by competitive bidding, but now it is in the open that one large Chinese company with many subsidiaries has been dominating the Caribbean scene and that that company has been banned by an international financial institution.

The One Laptop Per Family project has also gone to the Chinese. That project is more than a laptop distribution programme. It involves communication cables, which has sparked the belief that some of the major beneficiaries are people who were close to the former President Bharrat Jagdeo.

These contracts most surely involved kickbacks, and while I do not know the beneficiaries, I can hazard a very good guess. I sat and watched as the government, through the public treasury, put aside US$9 million for 27,000 laptops. I heard of the Chinese making cash donations ostensibly to the country to further support the programme. Then just the other day, I noticed that the very Chinese made a donation of 30,000 of the laptops to the government. That would be worth more than the US$10 million that Guyana would have spent.

I saw the cost of these netbooks and I knew that they were too highly priced and concluded that somebody was getting money from the Chinese.

Then there was the Marriott. Another Chinese company has been contracted. I began to wonder whether the only contractors we could secure were Chinese.

Then I learnt that the Chinese were making soft loans available to Guyana and that once we accept the loan we have to use a Chinese contractor. This is interesting.

The airport project attracted yet another Chinese company. Were there more kickbacks? I need not worry about the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric project. The Americans are rough on any of its companies that would be involved in any corrupt dealing.

And so we come to the heart of the matter. This ban on the major Chinese company and by extension, any of its subsidiaries, was some time ago. If the local officials said that they did not know, then they were not doing due diligence; they were not investigating the ability of the company to undertake the scope of work.

I do not want to believe that we are a slack and complacent nation. I don’t want to believe that apathy has crept into our psyche. But surely that must be the case. The question about due diligence was asked of Winston Brassington when the government awarded a contract to Makeshwar ‘Fip’ Motilall.

 Brassington told me that the company offering the performance bond should have done that.

That company was not spending money on the contract. If I am to build my house and the contractor is seeking a loan I cannot expect the bank to investigate the contractor to ascertain whether he would build a good house for me. The bank would only be interested in the contractor’s ability to repay the loan.

I knew there and then that there was a kickback. Corruption is rampant. Just this past week, I learnt of another massive bit of thieving at the National Communications Network. And I must not forget the contracts awarded to the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation. That story would be presented and the public would be able to judge.

As an aside, the British High Commissioner called to inform me that he never said that Guyana should get out of sugar. That was a statement I made last week. I must say that the statement was made to me some four years by an earlier British High Commissioner, Fraser Wheeler.

Indeed the story was written in 2012, but this High Commissioner Mr. Andrew Ayre never made those comments.