The Private Sector Commission (PSC) and the Transparency Institute of Guyana Inc. (TIGI) have agreed to collaborate on a series of measure aimed at stemming corruption, a joint release from the bodies said today.
The initiatives include a number which have been on the agenda for over a decade without implementation. The five measures agreed are:
1. The appointment of the Commissioners for the Public Procurement Commission (PPC), and the provision of adequate resources for its effective functioning;
2. The appointment of the Commissioners for the Integrity Commission and the provision of adequate resources for its effective functioning;
3. Tackling money laundering;
4. The appointment of an Ombudsman; and
5. Bringing into operation the Access to Information Act.
The two main parties have haggled for years over the PPC which is meant to be the oversight body for billions of dollars worth of government procurement each year. The parties have disagreed over the actual candidates and the manner of selection.
The absence of a fully functioning Integrity Commission and Ombudsman for many years has seen the government being strongly criticized by several groups.
Collaboration between the two sides flowed from a recent meeting which was requested by the PSC which was concerned at the low ranking of Guyana on Transparency International’s (TI) 2012 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). TIGI is TI’s national contact. .
The release said that TIGI explained that the CPI is a global research initiative that ranks countries on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be and has been credited with placing corruption on the international policy agenda. TIGI noted that apart from the CPI, Guyana is ranked poorly on corruption in other indices from reputable international bodies.
The release said that the PSC expressed concern at the low ranking that Guyana got and its negative impact on business and investment and “that, in its view, it was exaggerated.”
The PSC also voiced concern that the CPI is “based on perceptions and not reality, and the methodology used may not be appropriate.” The release said that TIGI clarified that absolute levels of corruption are not easy to measure since corruption usually involves illegal activities which are deliberately hidden and only come to light through scandals, investigations and prosecutions. TIGI contended that the best available substitute measure is the CPI. It noted that it has been relied upon by most countries and international institutions to assess levels of corruption.
The release said that both organisations agreed that the “perception of corruption (in) Guyana is too important to be ignored” The PSC agreed with a number of the points in TIGI’s eleven point plan to fight corruption and offered to collaborate on the aforementioned five.
Both parties agreed that it was important that the PSC and TIGI join efforts aimed at eradicating corruption in Guyana and meet regularly to discuss progress.
During the meeting, TIGI presented information on its make-up and mandate. TIGI also discussed its eleven point plan for tackling corruption and improving accountability. “TIGI expressed the view that if its proposed eleven point plan is implemented then Guyana’s ranking would surely improve on the CPI”, the statement said.