The A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Administration is committed to the process of reducing corruption in Guyana, AFC’s executive member and Minister of Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes, has said.
AFC Executive member and Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes
Hughes said while corruption remained a culture here, the Administration has been focusing on ensuring that in as many agencies and offices possible, the necessary checks and balances were put into effect to reduce such.
“The process of fixing these challenges is not something that can be done in six months, one year or year and a half. It is done by ensuring that the checks are in place and that there is constant monitoring and that when there are situations that we are aware of – that the perpetrators are brought to the court and are punished,” she told Journalists at the AFC’s press conference on Friday.
According to Hughes, it also means that if the issue of corruption is going to be fixed, then more people should be able to take a stand.
“It comes back to our personal integrity and what we talk about…we have to be honest and look at what we have become in Guyana. When will we as Guyanese say that the continuation of this behaviour is totally unacceptable?” she asked.
According to the Minister, there are rules and everyone must be governed by those rules. “Ministers, people on the street. It doesn’t matter who you are, it doesn’t matter where you come from, how much money you have.”
She said people usually took a whole new approach to things when they “jump on a plane” and go to North America. “All of a sudden, we become responsible. When are we going to have pride in our own country?
AFC General Secretary and Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson said that his Ministry, which was publicly perceived to be one that was susceptible to corruption, has been going through the process of purging. He said corruption has been brought to a very low rate over the last 18 months.
“Each and every time someone indicates that something is going wrong, we investigate it in the Ministry. We don’t make a lot of public pronouncements, but the levels of corruption have been drastically reduced.”
Party leader and Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan said that at a state level, the anti-corruption agency, the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) has come into being within the second year of the new government, something that the country should be proud of.
He said the new Government, while in Opposition, had been clamouring for the establishment of the PPC. He said while Cabinet was still giving its no-objection to contracts because of some administrative setbacks of the Commission, the body would soon take up its full responsibility.
Ramjattan said this was a difficult thing for the previous People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration to do. “It is a far, far cry from where we have come from… that is a major anti-corruption activity done within the first 24 months of this Administration.”
He maintained that there must be enforcement of all laws.
