-latest Transparency International survey
Guyana still ranks among the most corrupt countries, slipping three places on the Transparency International (TI) 2008 Corruption Percep-tion Index (CPI) released yesterday.
In a survey of 180 countries, Guyana fell to 126 with a score of 2.6 out of 10. It is the lowest ranked English-speaking Caribbean nation on the list and the second lowest ranked Caricom territory behind Haiti.
Based in Germany, TI is a non governmental organization working to root out corruption. The CPI measures the perceived levels of corruption among public officials and politicians in countries, based on different expert and business surveys. Four surveys were used to determine Guyana’s score.
President Bharrat Jagdeo has consistently criticised the number of indicators that have been used to assess Guyana in the past as well as the sources responsible for the data.
For the Caribbean, St. Lucia ranked highest at 21 with a rating of 7.1, followed by Barbados at 22 with a 7.0 rating and St. Vincent and the Grenadines at 28 with a rating of 6.5. Cuba (65), Suriname (72), Trinidad and Tobago (72), Jamaica (96) and the Dominican Republic (102) also received higher ratings.
Guyana shares its ranking with seven other countries: Indonesia, Honduras, Ethio-pia, Uganda, Libya, Eritrea and Mozambique.
Professor Johann Graf Lambsdorff of the University of Passau, who carries out the Index for TI, said an improvement in the CPI by one point (on the 10-point scale) increases capital inflows by 0.5% of a country’s gross domestic product and average incomes by as much as 4%.
Denmark, Sweden and New Zealand shared the highest score on the index at 9.3, while Haiti at 1.4, Iraq and Myanmar at 1.3 and Somalia at 1.0 were deemed the most corrupt.
In an official statement, TI said persistently high corruption in low-income countries amounts to an ongoing humanitarian disaster that cannot be tolerated. “In the poorest countries, corruption levels can mean the difference between life and death, when money for hospitals or clean water is in play,” Huguette Labelle, Chair of Trans-parency International, was quoted as saying in the statement.
TI said whether in high or low-income countries, the challenge of reigning in corruption requires functioning societal and governmental institutions. Poorer countries are often plagued by corrupt judiciaries and ineffective parliamentary oversight, it said. On the other hand, wealthy countries show evidence of insufficient regulation of the private sector, particularly in terms of addressing overseas bribery by their countries, and weak oversight of financial institutions and transactions. “Stemming corruption requires strong oversight through parliaments, law enforcement, independent media and a vibrant civil society,” Labelle said. “When these institutions are weak, corruption spirals out of control with horrendous consequences for ordinary people and for justice and equality in societies more broadly.”
TI also said that in low-income countries, rampant corruption jeopardises the global fight against poverty and threatens to derail the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). According to its 2008 Global Corruption Report, unchecked levels of corruption would add US$50 billion or nearly half of annual global aid outlays to the cost of achieving the MDG on water and sanitation. As a result, it is urging a redoubling of efforts in low-income countries, where the welfare of significant portions of the population hangs in the balance. It is also calling for a more focused and coordinated approach by the global donor community to ensure development assistance is designed to strengthen institutions of governance and oversight in recipient countries, and that aid flows are fortified against abuse and graft.
Well this news is not new, we all know guyana is corrupt, when a minister can shoot his gun in the public and still have a job we know that is corruption. when a magistrate can shoot a police officer and nothing is done it’s corruption. I’m glad that transparency international is putting the spotlight on the country, maybe they would start to get in line.,
Question is how do we stop corruption in our beloved yet dysfunctional country?
Those of us in the Diaspora can use international tool such as the UN Convention against Corruption and perhaps the Caribbean Court of Justice.
NOTE: The asset recovery tool is huge.
But in the end, it’s on the ground in Guyana where most of the fight will have to start.
Local (regional) governments who don’t tolerate corruption in their local region would be a good start.
How can a government think its ok to place a VAT tax of 16% on the population then give non-disclosure contracts? This is the “PEOPLE” monies.
The media should sue the Government for this info. Of course that will go nowhere but we can then take that start to the international community, starting with the CCJ then the UN or British high commission.
And for those who can’t see this as a problem here is some info from the world bank.
1. The World Bank has stated that “bribery has become a $1 trillion industry.”
2. Corruption erodes the rule of law and harms the reputation of and trust in the state.
3. Corruption deters investment and hinders growth. It spurs inequality and erodes macroeconomic and fiscal stability.
God Bless our Beloved Country and its people.
…………..this melt down would send a serious message to the jagdeo adminstration……..who would want to lend you money when you refuse to curbe curruption…..the pressure cooker is on the fire………let see how long this adminstration will hold up…….some people live by corruption and die by corruption…
This is long overdue. Guyana is one of the most seedy countries,corrupt,dirty and crawling with criminals.In the government and out.
Cause for celebration!
Guyana is not the least corrupt country and that speaks well for the gov’t!
The Presee should not bother about the mechanics of the calculation of the
Index:, quote
“Pesident Bharrat Jagdeo has consistently criticised the number of indicators that have been used to assess Guyana in the past as well as the sources responsible for the data.”
Check List par moi:
All de Ministers are honest
The public servants are all honest
Traders are the most honest, They do not short change customers
The best of all, the police force is devoted to their jobs and would never
accept offers
And of course the drug squad is detector free
Time for celebration.
The government should declare a public holiday named;
“Not the least honest country in the world”.
Hooray!
Where do you reside now?
How did you fare and what should you celebrate?
The president can try to discredit the survey by his questions but we all know that the country is very corrupt; now the world knows maybe its indeed time to celebrate because something might be done about it(hopefully)
I don’t care what measure they use. Corruption in Guyana is rampant and the Government nor the people are doing anything about it. First the people need to stop trying to get a leg up on each other, by bribing people to do their jobs. The government then need to set up a system to deal with those who collect bribes, and pass illegal contracts to unqualified contractors, simply because they are their supporters.
Carl I tink di people dem miss dat u were bein sarcastic. Yuh might waan fuh leh dem kno.
Opps! No Surprise.
What is TI definition of corruption?
the definition of corruption is standard why would TI change it.
It reached it’s peak under the PNC.For 28 years. DO YOU UNDERSTAND NOW?
Here we go again. Imperical evidence. I wonder what spin the Pres. gon put on this one. My brother, an ex GDF officer, and retired judge, always told me. Don’t blame the Ranks. Blame the Officers for any indiscipline in the army. The same holds true for civilian rule. What a damn shame. This is one time I will tell my kids not to boast that they are Guyanese.
Were is the imperial evidence? Prove it? Has SN shown or listed the criterion for which Guyana was judged? No they have not. Every year they release the same regurgitate report in an attempt to chastise the GOG because they are not pro PNC like most of the bloggers. What other organization do such as test as TI.
How did the USA fare?
From your viewpoint the USA is probably completely sterile.
For many decades, India was ranked very corrupt by most international organisations and indeed it may still be ranked as very corrupt in this current survey, however no one can dispute that India is now one of the most industrialising countries of the world.
Countries like India, China etc have a kind of corruption flavoured with patriotism and it does seem to result in accelerated progress.
In governmental systems entrenched in log-jams and restrictive officialdom, it is sometimes necessary to have alternative ways to fast track decision making. Mostly these systems would be labelled corrupt however as India and China have graphically demonstrated, being flexible with the ‘rules’ may be necessary to accelerate progress.
Therefore President Bharrat Jagdeo is right to caution that foreign indicators about Guyana must be looked at with a common sense approach.
Even wealthy ‘purer’ countries are criticised by this survey in relation with having insufficient regulation of the private sector and weak oversight of financial institutions and transactions.
The ‘corruption’ of these systems are clear to any of us who are currently following the disaster which is hitting the world and originating in Wall Street, New York, USA.
In the Transparency International survey, St. Lucia is ranked high at 21 out of 180
Guyana is ranked very low at 126 out of 180 i.e. more corrupt.
I know I would still regard Guyana as the better country overall and it is clear to see that since gaining democracy about 20 years ago Guyana is in the ascendancy and indeed continuing to make progress.
Although we should work to reduce corruption, we should not get too depressed by surveys but just put our heads down and get on with the next twenty years of progress. It is PROGRESS which is the holy grail.
Satish. Stop the spin. It is what it is. I respectfully ask you to take your head out of the sand. There is nothing to defend. I love my country, just as you apparently do. But let’s call a spade a spade. GUYANA IS CORRUPT. You can’t put lip stick on a pig. ( laugh )
Satish you got to be joking!!! Guyana is in the ascendency? What planet are you on.
If you mean ascendency where corrution is concerned then i’m with you but if you mean in terms of progress then you need to wake up.
So Satish, you’re saying that in order for Guyana to be acclaimed among the “industrialising” countries we have to endure some form of corruption to get there? Are you saying that India & China advanced into the “industrialising” countries because of corruption or were the corrupt governments removed prior to their advancement & growth? Can you oblige me by expounding a bit more on the “corruption flavoured with patriotism”/?Correct me if I’m wrong but are you saying it is good to be corrupt if it is for the “good” of the country?? Should I understand that there is a “good” form of “corruption”? Like others, I’m just trying to make “sense” of your comments.
I guess what you mean is that in Guyana corruption is ‘ascending’ the ladder all the way to the topmost rungs, and “progressing” along the road to absolute chaos! My friends from India and China talk about their future plans as they go back home. Me? To think about going back to Guyana is to court death, poverty, robbery with violence, extortion, rape … u get my drift, Satish?
All Third World nations are more corrupt than developed nations.That is why they will never reach the stage of development.Ever.
did they have this before 1992. if not we cannot have a favorable comparison of improvement.
let the critics anti PPP have their picnic field day.
why the need for comparsion & what would the result say that their was corruption prior to 1992 and it is somewhat less now . the crooks of the matter is the agency found ecidences of corruption now and that is what needs to be addressed. having a corrupt regime as your predessor give one no rigt to continue those trends. the change came because it was those corrupt practices that persons were fed up of.
freespeech. Even if I agree with you that it was there before. What has the present government done to improve this disgraceful situation? The PPP is the party in power. The fault, dear freespeech, is not in the stars, but in the hands of the GOVERNMENT. i AM NOT ANTI PPP.
Freespeech, once again we are comparing the PPP and the PNC. Yes the PNC had corruption and we condemned them then, so now the PPP is in power it is OK for them to to the same thing. Does this mean two wrongs make it right?
A typical apologist answer…the reason why Guyana is where it is. What has this to do with pre 1992 or the price of sugar? The point is corruption is rampant in Guyana NOW. When will Guyanese “pull up their socks” and stop passing the buck? The PNC is, for all intents and purposes, a dead horse…stop flogging it and move on!!!
It is clear to all guyanese living abroad that we have a very corrupt administration at present and let me add that the former regime was also corrupt, but the situation now is very ramphant and has attained an alltime high. The drugs found on flights coming out of guyana is also an example of corrupt and dishonest practices which the security entities at the country’s main and only international airport SEEMS NOT TO NOTICE so taking all this into consideration and more i did’nt mention it’s not surprising at all for others to rate us this low as a corrupt nation.
Billions spent or otherwise “disbursed” on the two basic things in life water and electricity still there is no reliable water or electricity for the nation. ………this is a true life example of CORRUPTION. To mention other corruption will fill this cup …sorry i mean page…
What a shame to this nation. This is no surprise after all that has been happeining in Guyana. Allowing an alleged drug pig Roger khan to help fight crime as he claimed is corruption from the top going to the bottom. Let’s see how jadgeo will explain this one to the nation. I agree that Guyana is among the most corrupted countries on planet earth. Lots of evidence to convince one of this fact.
I couldnt agree with you more
we dont need a Germany company to tell us that Guyana is corrupted!
gtgyal i’m definetely with you on this. we all should know we dont need outsiders to tell us this. Guyana is corrupt.
Gimme a break. Are you saying the best way to examine one’s self is self examination?You will never hear Guyana is corrupt if you wait on a politician to say those words.