Guyana is improving on corruption perception index – TIGI Head

– says more work needs to be done

While Guyana scored 39 and was ranked at 87 out of 180 countries that were studied in the Transparency International (TI) index for 2021, Transparency International Guyana Index (TIGI) President Fred Collins has pointed out that Guyana has over the past few years made significant improvements.
During a recent appearance on Globespan, Collins noted that Guyana’s improvement on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) has been consistent. At one point, Guyana had a score of 29 and a ranking at 119, back in 2015.
“Our CPI, the transparency corruption perception index, is one indicator of that. It indicates the perception from an international standpoint. And we are low, in terms of performance,” Collins explained.

“While we are low, as our reports try to make out, we have been consistent, over the last four or five reports, on the improve. And we attempted to make that point. Unfortunately, that point got lost.”
Collins did note, however, that the CPI does not capture or measure all corruption that takes place. According to him, there is corruption that also happens at the level of the average citizen. As such, he made the point that more remains to be done.
Earlier this year, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo had pointed out that with more lapses from A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change’s (APNU/AFC) time in office being exposed, this could cause the country to slip further on the corruption index.
He had noted that many of the lapses that caused TI to score Guyana the way it did, occurred under the former Government. This is compounded by the work of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which has been exposing wrongdoings under the former Government, with its examination of the Auditor General’s report.
“There are a lot of transgressions and trust me there were egregious transgressions involving serious violations that you wouldn’t find in any PPP era,” Jagdeo said, noting that some of these transgressions which are yet to be exposed in detail include the Sussex Street drug bond scandal and the billions the former Government spent without parliamentary oversight.
Speaking on the issue of corruption last year, Minister of Governance and Parliamentary Affairs Gail Teixeira had meanwhile made it clear that the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government was intent on building capacity to fight corruption.
During an anti-corruption workshop her Ministry spearheaded with support from the United Nations (UN), she had also spoken of the need for Guyana to make active efforts to strengthen its institutions and honour its treaty obligations. She also called for everyone to be on board in the fight against corruption.
“We need to build institutional capacity in our country, that this becomes part of the fabric of what we do in Government. That the preparation of the reports requires the development of capacity in our institutions.”
“The preparation must be one where the partners and agencies in the country, civil society, begin to see this as an important function they have to play. Instead of making it a political football,” Teixeira had also said.
In addition, Teixeira had emphasised the importance of Guyana building institutional capacity to eliminate instances of bribery, underhand deals, fraud, and exploitation in the public sector. This is also important for Guyana to be able to punch above its weight at anti-corruption conferences.
“We need as a country, as a small country in terms of population and skill space, to be able to work in an organised, structured manner and to be able to develop the capacity when each of the agencies are involved, as well as the national level. And that’s what this workshop is about. And we went to the UNODC and asked them, could they assist us,” the Minister had said.