(Jamaica Gleaner) The contractor general Greg Christie has again questioned whether there is the political will in Jamaica to address the problem of corruption.
The contractor general’s concern is contained in a public statement to mark international anti-corruption day being observed today.
According to Christie, Jamaica is at a critical crossroads where the political will and the leadership of key State organs to fight corruption must be openly questioned.
He says if corruption is to be effectively fought, it is also extremely critical that the environment in which it thrives is clearly defined and understood.
However, Christie believes that already, the majority of Jamaicans may have resigned themselves to believing that corruption has become irrevocably ingrained in most, if not all, the political and socio-economic spheres.
He now wants an urgent aggressive national agenda to effectively fight the perceived and rising levels of corruption.
The contractor general has cited Transparency International estimates indicating that the cost of corruption in public contracting is an average 10-25 per cent of the value of the contract.
