Widespread corruption underscores need for “functioning” Integrity Commission – APNU
A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)’s Shadow Minister of Public Works and Telecommunications, Joseph Harmon has lashed out at the General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Clement Rohee for comments he believed were grounded in ignorance.
Harmon recounted that Rohee during his “Tuesday Theatre” at Freedom House, expressed that he will not support baseless allegations that some of his colleagues in Government had amassed their wealth through corruption.
Joseph Harmon
The APNU parliamentarian opined that Rohee’s remarks were “extremely preposterous”.
“It is not unusual for us to hear from Rohee that he doesn’t know. He hardly knows anything… But what is important is that he doesn’t want to have help in knowing these things because in the National Assembly, the Leader of APNU, Brigadier David Granger, presented several motions aimed at bringing closure to a number of these issues… Rohee can say he doesn’t know and that’s understandable, but what is not understandable, is when he had the opportunity to know and he chose not to utilize it.”
In relation to the question of government officials who amass wealth via corrupt practices, Harmon expressed that it reinforces the need for an effective and functioning Integrity Commission in the country.
“We have a system which requires public officials to report annually on their assets and I believe their liabilities too, to the Integrity Commission, but we have one that is not functioning. We have one that even while it was functioning, did not have the investigative capacity to go after information that was so clear and evident to all Guyanese citizens. APNU has always said that what this country needs is an integrity commission that can act autonomously.”
The Member of Parliament then made reference to the Integrity Commission of Trinidad and Tobago which he deemed to be a monument of effectiveness and as such, Guyana should seek to emulate such a model to promote transparency.
“You cannot have an environment for public officials to be amassing wealth far in excess of their known capacity to earn as a public official. And this is not related to ministers only, since we have other people that have been amassing wealth quietly and still you have no investigations being carried out. We are restating that there is a need for a firm, independent and well resourced Integrity Commission to deal with the issues that are being spoken to now.
The question of corruption among public officials is well reported. There are endless reports by the Auditor General and you have endless cases where ministries are summoned before the Public Accounts Committee and then you don’t hear of anyone being charged from the outcome of the matters before the Committee, and so we have a long way to go for accountability.”
The APNU executive member expressed alarm at the fact that there are some who do not perceive the acquisition of wealth in an unlawful manner to be corruption but rather perceive it to be the price of doing business in Guyana.
“And that is how they see it… and so they have no moral turpitude where that is concerned. We have to set a high standard and ensure that the constitutional entities established to ensure good governance and order in our society be made to function and serve their purpose.”