Only comfort
The most recent report of Transparency International (TI) makes one feel that corruption remains endemic in the society and fighting it is a waste of time. Since arriving on the global body’s perception index in 2005, Guyana remains stubbornly at the lower end where more corrupt countries of the world could be found. It is not like Barbados, a sister Caricom country, which, with a rank of 17, sits among countries that are thought to have greater integrity in the conduct of public policy and the management of their economies. The feeling of pride which high placement brings could only be a dream right now for Guyanese. The single comfort Guyanese have is knowing that TI measures corruption in 175 countries and does not rank all the others, including many developed countries, at number one. This reality is proof that corruption is a global problem. It comes in many forms and exists in all countries. But for Guyanese, corruption is now a vexation and if it is not brought under control, the expenditure of their tax dollars will continue to bring them sub-optimal benefits. This distasteful conduct might not be a budget buster but could result in the delivery of substandard goods that leaves taxpayers worse off than before. The economic consequences of corruption are real and so is the growing inequality and insecurity stemming from it.
The comfort of knowing that others are corrupt too turns to despair when it is discovered that other countries are trying to get a grip of their problems. That is the way it appears in a study which was commissioned by the European Union and published in June 2013 in an attempt to identify and reduce corruption in public procurement in member countries of the European Union. China, often accused of such behaviour, has been actively engaged in going after corrupt politicians and celebrities. This article considers two issues raised in the EU study with readers in an effort to expand appreciation for the
