Last Friday, there was a launching of my book entitled “Public Accountability at the Crossroads: the Guyana Experience” under the auspices of the Transparency Institute Guyana Inc. (TIGI). The proceedings were ably chaired by Mr. Gino Persaud, Attorney-at-law and past President of TIGI. Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, performing the functions of President, was a special invitee, and among the attendees were: Dr. Yesu Persaud, retired Chairman of the Demerara Distillers Ltd.; Khemraj Ramjattan, Minister of Public Security; Jaipaul Sharma, Minister in the Ministry of Finance; Keith Scott, Minister in the Ministry of Communities; and Calvin Bernard, President of TIGI.
Remarks by Dr. Yesu Persaud
In his brief remarks, Dr. Yesu Persaud, who wrote the foreword to the book, highlighted the importance of ethics in management of our affairs. His statement reminds me of my primary school days when my headmaster would indulge us in a session of moral education every Monday morning. In one of his famous lessons, he proclaimed “What thou doest in the closet shall be set forth on the rooftop”. After 60 years, those words still resonate in me, and they provide an important signpost as I undertake life’s journey, albeit far from the degree of perfection as I would have liked.
I am on record as having advocated for the return of moral education in our primary school system, and for courses in moral and ethical behaviour to be taught in our secondary and tertiary education institutions. In my book “Improving Public Accountability: The Guyana Experience 1987-2007”, I referred to the African Union Convention Against Corruption which advocates education programmes to sensitise citizens about public good and the public interest and to promote ethical behavour. At the United Nations, all levels of staff, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, are required to undergo special training in ethics as a condition of service.
Dr. Persaud also sounded the timely reminder that out of authority flows responsibility which in turn demands accountability. I immediately recall an article that he had written in 1991 in the Stabroek News entitled “Accountability is everybody’s business”. I am also reminded of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/64/640 dated 29 January 2010 entitled “Towards an accountability system in the United Nations Secretariat”. As the then Secretary of the UN Board of Auditors and Panel of External Auditors, I was fortunate to be part of the effort to craft the following definition of accountability:
Accountability represents the obligation of the Organization and its staff members to be answerable for delivering specific results that have been determined through a clear and transparent assignment of responsibility, subject to the availability of resources and the constraints posed by external factors. Accountability includes achievement of objectives and results in response to mandates, fair and accurate reporting on performance results, stewardship of funds, and all aspects of performance in accordance with regulations, rules and standards, including a clearly defined system of rewards and sanctions.
We at the Board were not happy with the inclusion of words “subject to the availability of resources and constraints posed by external factors” and we had wanted to include reference to the timely financial reporting and audit without any adverse comments. However, the General Assembly felt otherwise.
Chairman’s remarks
In his opening remarks, the Chairman referred to the efforts TIGI has made over the years in promoting good governance, transparency and accountability, and to its persistent calls for: (a) all public revenues to be paid into the Consolidated Fund; (b) the activation of the Procurement Commission; (c) the effective functioning of the Integrity Commission; (d) the overhaul of the existing legislation on access to information; and (e) the introduction of legislation on whistleblower protection and campaign financing. He stated that: perceptions of corruption continue to remain high; those perceptions would not go away in the near future; and the 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), which is due in December of this year, is unlikely to see any significant improvement. He reminded attendees that since 2005 when Transparency International first evaluated Guyana, we have been rated second lowest in the Caribbean on the CPI, the lowest being Haiti. Noting that the international community as well as foreign investors place reliance on the Index in terms of how they view Guyana, especially for business opportunities, the Chairman felt that a gigantic effort is needed at all levels to improve our standing on the CPI.
And in his intervening remarks, the Chairman alluded to a statement I made (while introducing the book) about character assassinations and vilifications of persons who have displayed the courage to speak out on issues that negatively impact on good governance, transparency and accountability. These attacks were State-sponsored, and many of the perpetrators were anonymous letter writers and bloggers who have long been suspected, now confirmed, of being compensated financially using the resources of the State. These are in themselves not only acts of corruption but also represent the misappropriation of public funds. I am also on record as having stated the accounting officers and/or those responsible for signing the contracts should be held personally responsible. The termination of the services of these persons is simply not enough while those who initiated these unconscionable and despicable acts, indeed the architects of this State-sponsored criminal behaviour, are allowed to get away scot-free. The Chairman of the proceedings himself was also a victim of such attacks, and was blocked by someone higher up in the then Administration from taking up an important position with a foreign company operating in Guyana because of his association with TIGI. These immoral, unethical and evil acts should never again be allowed to be rear their ugly heads, and hopefully they have been relegated to the indignity of the dustbin of Guyanese history.
The Chairman referred to a letter written to Transparency International by the then acting Foreign Minister requesting the parent body to take appropriate action to purge the Institute of members whom he claimed were bitter and were displaying anti-government sentiments. Needless to mention, the letter was ignored. And in a December 2012 editorial, this is what the Stabroek News had to say about the attacks on TIGI:
In its frenzied effort to denigrate the survey, the Progressive Youth Organization (PYO), the youth arm of the ruling PPP, launched venomous attacks on the Vice-President of the local transparency body, Mr Anand Goolsarran and civil society activist and the government’s perceived bête noir, Mr Christopher Ram. Outlandish and ferocious attacks on independent-minded persons who are prepared to defend the public interest are a well-known tactic of the ruling party and its arms to intimidate and deflect attention. Both Messrs Goolsarran and Ram are performing yeoman’s work in the protection of the rights of all Guyanese to be provided with the information that they should have and to prevent corruption. Mr Ram has long been an object of these attacks by the PPP and thankfully has never been fazed by them.
It is unfortunate that the PYO would seek to attack an outstanding and upstanding public servant like Mr Goolsarran who dedicated many years of his life to improving accountability in public finances. The PYO has gone beyond the pale by stating that Mr Goolsarran “… prior to 1992 was widely suspected to have colluded with the PNC to suppress the production of audited public accounts and was complicit in the concealment of PNC mismanagement of Government finances.” It would appear that the PPP’s founder, the late Dr Cheddi Jagan was completely unaware of this extraordinary PYO insight when he served as President between 1992 and 1997 at the same time that Mr Goolsarran was Auditor General. It is a ludicrous attack and follows the example of senior functionaries in the Office of the President. Indeed, Mr Goolsarran became a target of former President Jagdeo and HPS Luncheon when he announced his attention to investigate the scandalous export of dolphins from this country by presidential advisor, Mr Lumumba.
I invite the public to read “The truth about the restoration of public accountability in Guyana”, as contained in Unit 28 of my book.
Since its establishment, TIGI passed through very rough times and was always swimming against the tide. Many a time, we at TIGI felt that the Institute would have gone under but we held steadfastly to our sense of purpose and in the end we prevailed as the foremost civil society organization devoted to the promotion of good governance, transparency and accountability, and to fighting corruption. It is therefore a welcome relief that the Prime Minister and other Ministers of the Government graced the occasion with their presence. The Prime Minister jokingly stated that if he did not attend the launch, it would be an act of corruption!
It must be said that TIGI alone cannot fight corruption. The Institute is on record as having offered to reach out and work with government and the private sector in a genuine partnership to rid this country of corruption. For this to happen, however, there must be an acknowledgement of the extent to which corruption is perceived to exist in Guyana and a genuine commitment on the part of the Government to address the issue. Criticisms must not be viewed as attacks on the Government, and the attitude of “circling the wagons” and asking “where is the evidence?” only serves to exacerbate the problem.
So far, the signs are encouraging, and TIGI under its new President Calvin Bernard must not hesitate to renew its offer to the new Administration and the Private Sector. Referring to results of the CPI as it relates to Trinidad and Tobago, the Governor-General is reported to have told the Government “Stop the arrogance.”
Most governments, regardless of how they feel about the index as it relates to their countries, accept it in good faith and do whatever it takes to bring about an improvement in their countries’ standing. It is time Guyana wakes up to this reality.
