Everybody else wrong and dem girly girly men dem gotta be right....no?

Guyana most corrupt country in English-speaking Caribbean

-watchdog body calls for Procurement Commission, new Integrity Commission,

“When desperately needed development funds are stolen by corrupt individuals and institutions, poor and vulnerable people are robbed of the education, health care and other essential services.”- UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon

Four days before the world observes the United Nations International Anti-Corruption Day, new rankings have placed Guyana as the most corrupt country in English-speaking Caribbean countries.

 According to rankings released yesterday by watchdog corruption body, Transparency International (TI), the 2012 Annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) has placed Guyana at a lowly 133 out of total of 174 countries.

Guyana managed a miserly 28 points out of 100.

And in the presentation of the Transparency International findings, head of the local chapter, Attorney at Law, Gino Persaud, and Secretary Frederick Collins, both lauded Kaieteur News which has been highlighting corruption in Guyana. The newspaper has been investigating the various contracts issued under questionable circumstances and examining the numerous projects, many of which were believed to be overpriced.

TIGI officials: From left is Vice-President, Dr. Anand Goolsarran; President, Gino Persaud and Director, Frederick Collins.

The results were released by Transparency Institute Guyana Inc. (TIGI), the local contact of TI. TI would have conducted its surveys gauging perceptions to corruption by examining relations in the public sector, the local police, Customs, procurement and doing business.

The index has become a signature tool widely used around the globe to measure the perceived levels of public sector corruption in countries and looked at keenly by investors and multilateral lending agencies.

Denmark, Finland and New Zealand tie for first place with scores of 90, helped by strong access to information systems and rules governing the behaviour of those in public positions.

Guyana tied Comoros, Honduras, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Russia.

“This ranking places us at the bottom of the English Speaking Caribbean with only Haiti below us at 165.

It is noteworthy that in the Caribbean, Barbados ranks at 15 with a score of 76; both St. Lucia and Bahamas rank at 22 with a score of 71 and St. Vincent and the Grenadines rank at 36 with a score of 62,” TIG’s President, Gino Persaud said during a press conference at the offices of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) on Waterloo Street.

 Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia once again cling to the bottom rung of the index. In these countries, the lack of accountable leadership and effective public institutions underscore the need to take a much stronger stance against corruption.

At the press conference also were former Auditor General, Dr. Anand Goolsarran, who is TIGI’s Vice President; and Director, Frederick Collins. Persaud, a lawyer, said that the advocacy body will be writing government on the findings of the index.

Integrity Commission… TIGI listed a number of measures that Government will have to implement to raise Guyana’s rankings. These include the appointment of competent and independent members of the Integrity Commission to scrutinize the financial disclosures of politicians and bureaucrats and with adequate staff and resources to ensure the Commission can adequately fulfill its mandate.

Persaud noted that Prime Minister Sam Hinds in June had promised to have new members of the Integrity Commission sworn within a week.

Among other things TIGI is also calling for the urgent appointment of members of the Public Procurement Commission to regulate government contracts and minimize their involvement; the implementation of modern anti-corruption legislation; implementation of whistle-blowing legislation; the enforcement of existing anti-corruption laws by investigating and prosecuting the corrupt and the strengthening of existing anti-corruption institutions such as the Guyana Police Force and the Financial Intelligence established under the money laundering legislation.

 “These institutions are weak and unable to counter serious white collar crime and corrupt activities,” Persaud said in his read statement.

 Guyana should also appoint an Ombudsman to address grievances from members of the public; ensure that all public monies are placed to the credit of the Consolidated Fund, and no public expenditure must be incurred without Parliamentary approval.

TIGI also called for all appointments to public offices to be advertised and made with due regard to technical competence, and not loyalty; and for the Access to Information Act passed in Parliament to be strengthened and made operational.

 TIGI also called for the strengthening of civil society and for organisations such as the Guyana Bar Association, the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Private Sector Commission, Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and the Guyana Press Association to become more involved in combating corruption by speaking out against corruption and being proactive within its own membership on tackling corruption and by partnering with us for collective efforts.

 “We call on the press corps to be more vigilant in acting as a professional, impartial and responsible watchdog body against corruption.”

Corruption exists According to Goolsarran, most countries are doing everything possible to “get to the top of the table” of rankings.

He urged, as a start, that government accept the index in good faith and do something about it.

The officials drew reference to a judge in Brazil who targeted a number of politicians close to former President Lula and who was the laughing stock of many. The politicians were brought to trial.

Asked to comment on the impact of the findings, Dr Goolsarran said that serious investors use the findings by Transparency International to determine whether they would invest in a country.

Many have opted to cancel plans for investment in Guyana.

TIGI is seeking funding now to educate Guyanese and will seek to meet with government and Members of the Parliament to discuss the issue which ultimately affects the way Guyana is perceived.

The TIGI officials refused to be drawn into answering questions whether President Donald Ramotar had done enough to tackle corruption in Guyana. According to Collins, newspaper reporters and even the Auditor General’s annual report have been indicators of the situation of corruption in Guyana.

 TIGI also disclosed that it has been asked by the Minister of Natural Resources to work with his Ministry on mining, an area which has been besotted with issues of corruption and lawlessness in recent years.

 According to TIGI, the index demonstrates that corruption continues to ravage societies around the globe.

Two-thirds of the 176 countries ranked in the 2012 index score below 50, on a scale from 0 (perceived to be highly corrupt) to 100 (perceived to be very clean), showing that public institutions need to be more transparent, and powerful officials held more accountable.

 According to Huguette Labelle, the Chair of Transparency International, “Governments need to integrate anti-corruption actions into all public decision-making.

 Priorities include better rules on lobbying and political financing, making public spending and contracting more transparent and making public bodies more accountable to people.

After a year of focus on corruption, we expect governments to take a tougher stance against the abuse of power.”

 UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon has said that corruption afflicts all countries, undermining social progress and breeding inequality and injustice. “When desperately needed development funds are stolen by corrupt individuals and institutions, poor and vulnerable people are robbed of the education, health care and other essential services. All of us have a responsibility to take action against the cancer of corruption.” The private sector, too, stands to gain enormously from effective action, he said. “Corruption distorts markets, increases costs for companies and ultimately punishes consumers.”

 According to the BBC, corruption was the world’s most talked about issue in 2010 and 2011.

The summation of incomes-expenditures over years must equal to assets. They will say that bank finance help to build a US$1.75 mill mansion on the seawall. However, I want to see that credit underwriter who will underwrite such a loan. If you show me that underwriter I can sell you the Skyway bridge in St Pete FL.

So Jalill boy at least we better than Haiti? Are we still?

Contrary to the beliefs of many AFCers, Britain is not the "whole world."

 Your fixation with Britain as the head of some organized background entity holding the reins to world government is not a problem for the rest of us. You drank of the larouche intellectual vineyard and that does not produce wine but vinegar. It is an organized conspiracy theory warehouse and as a disciple you are lost to the world

Corruption is in EVERy Country. The GPF, The Civil SErvice, CANU, Regional Chairmen, Some Govt Employees . Guyana should have a lower rating since EVERY DAY you can verify Corruption at any Ministry or Police Station.

Corruption has gotten worse every year since the Jagabat became president and it is continuing in the same vain under Rummouthar.

Guyana is so corrupt now that Guyana is ranked right next to Nigeria and this is a country that is so corrupt that they have their own scam named for that country.

PPP, the biggest tiefin party in Guyana's history.

Even as the latest 'Corruption Perception Index' released by Transparency International (TI) rates Guyana poorly questions continue to surround the methodology used and that fact that it may influence the actual perception of corruption because of the media attention the report receives.

Dr. Elaine Byrne, a columnist with the Sunday Independent and the Irish corruption consultant with the European Commission, recently wrote that "perception-based corruption indexes may influence the actual perception of corruption because of the media attention they receive, thus raising the possibilities that the indexes influence the very same perceptions on which they are based. This circularity reinforces perceptions of corruption, creating a vicious cycle between perception and fact. Therefore, the perception of corruption does not always reflect the reality or complexity of the actual level or experience of corruption within a country".

Byrne noted that "there is growing concern among anti-corruption agencies and the international community that perception-based indexes are not accurate measures. The best perception-based surveys do not always account for indirect effects of subjective factors, and their margins of error are large when compared with actual corruption (Bertrand and Mullainathan 2001)".

"A 2006 report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development notes that at least one donor stopped funding a country because of its standing in the CPI (Arndt and Oman 2006, p. 48). That same report also notes that the dominance of perception indexes may be contributing to the emergence of a “corruption trap.” As development aid is increasingly made conditional on the implementation of reforms, those countries with the least resources to implement “good governance” stand to suffer most from the withdrawal of precisely the support they need to stand any realistic chance of tackling corruption. In this way, perception-based indexes can become entirely counterproductive".

She went on that "such indexes do not reveal the real context of a situation, and may even be counterproductive to a nation’s efforts to develop its economy and improve its citizens’ standards of living. An inverse effect may occur under which countries are discouraged from undertaking serious anti-corruption measures because their attempts at reform are neither revealed nor regarded as successful by an improved score in the CPI".

TI international relies on information garnered by a local transparency body which the government of Guyana objected to citing its population of persons critical of its management of the country as well as affiliated to the two opposition political parties. Among those are Christopher Ram, Enrico Woolford and Keith Parks. Ram is the legal counsel of the Transparency International Guyana and also had a hand in writing the opposition PNC/R 1G manifesto for the 2006 elections.  He recently represented the Alliance for Change(AFC) at during a segment of the NCN Corruption Debates.

Woolford, like Adam Harris of the Kaieteur News, functioned as a senior information disseminator under the illegitimate PNC Government of the post 1992 era and he operates a news programme that's noted for its sarcastic, anti government coverage. Parks is closely affiliated to a political party, through family relations.  His son in law, Mr. Mike Singh, is the opposition PNCR international relations liaison. Mr. Parks brought Mr. Singh to have a meeting with the Guyana Chapter only recently.

The perception of corruption in Guyana is high because the nation as a whole is corrupt. They tolerate corruption and my even like it the way it is. This culture of corruption has been nurtured during the PNC era when draconian rule forced folks into corrupt practices in order to make a living, and it now lives on through the PPP time as it became entrenched in Guyanese culture. You will note however that most of those collecting bribes are those working in govt agencies, like the courts, customs, police etc. And who are the majority in these occupations? Of course AFC/PNC supporters. 99% of govt workers are PNC/AFC supporters.

Dumb Jackass show us the mansions that are built by these AFC/PNC supporters. You asinine statements show how shallow you are.

I see I got your attention once again, I must be spot on with my analysis. Whenever you turn into a rabid dog it means the truth hurts, that is the measure of the voracity in my words. 

The perception of corruption is what citizens sense when they interact with govt agencies. You go to the passport office and the PNc/AFC supporters want a bribe to renew your passport or grant a new one. You go to register you car the police want a bribe. You go to pass fitness for your car, they want a bribe. The bribes is usually a towel or higher, not enough to build mansion but enough to affect the perception of corruption.  

Your reasoning to excuse the PPP "Corruption is in EVERy Country" is typical of the way you think... just like everybody has a kakahole but you don't find them all dig'n'smell like you....

Skeldan a benefit fram de corruptshun. Dem seh Nehru bebefit a nuff nuff expensive rum and pork/beef/shark cuttas.

HEY KAKAHOLE PUTTY, WEH YUH BIN JACKASS. YUH FINALLY FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR ASS.  WATAK!! WATAK!!!  I LOVE FRIDAYS.  AND LISTON WALKS INTO ALI UPPER CUT, THE FIGHT IS OVER.

Prk,

Wah yu nah shet yu ugly ass face an get yu head out ah yu kakahole. Gal/Man/It, yu mouth haad. All da insult yu get an yu still cum fu moe.

How me ah benefit from yu alleged so call corrupshun wen me ah live in Amerika?  Yu moe blunt dan wan dull axe. Me feel sarry fu yu family. Yu really prove yusef as wan dum jackass kakahole. Sometimes me wanda if mankind cyan really help yu.

Roger Khan is in America, and so are many others who are enjoying the high life in the US and Canada from ill gotten gains in Guyana. So your excuse is invalid.

I don't have anyone in Guyana to profit from crimes. I left Guyana when the PNC had the monoply on the ill gotten gains then. It was a closed group. Could not have participated. It was a crimminal enterprise.

Meh hear ahyo had a pool party by jags on your last visit, only guys  invited with thongs as the dress code...yuh mussi prapa chaatay Kwamee....