Quite often, when guilty, immoral or indifferent persons are confronted with deeds or thoughts which are negative to good order, to righteousness, even national development, they slink and hide behind one mantra: “It happen everywhere, not only in Guyana.”
Not choosing to come out publicly, even privately, to denounce wrong-doing, they – usually normal folks – choose not to be courageous. Sometimes they use “intellectual,” “philosophical” and historical arguments and contexts to locate and tolerate rampant wrong-dong. Even evil.
Notwithstanding the above observations, I must acknowledge that the burning issue of corruption is one that easily fits into debates and discourse. From a global perspective. Because I share the view that corruption in Guyana scaled unprecedented heights, both allegedly and evidentially, under Jagdeo and Ramotar and because I’m becoming pessimistic enough to believe that despite their pledges and boasts, Dr Clive Thomas, Moses Nagamootoo, Khemraj Ramjattan, even President Granger himself will not bring the pre-2015 executive thieves to justice or have them return the loot from the public purse, I’ll now share a persuasive argument on the matter delivered by a respected international analyst.
The more corrupt, unfair world
To me, Frankly Speaking, “two wrongs still don’t make a right.” A universal, world-wide sin must not exempt us here in Guyana or provide excuse or context for joining in and exploiting evil.
Jason Hickel, lecturer at the London School of Economics, likes to take Transparency International and its Corruption Perception Indices to task for berating only the poor south when, according to him corruption is even more all-pervasive in the rich developed world!
Writes Hickel: “Many international development organisations hold that persistent poverty in the Global South is caused largely by corruption among local public officials. In 2003 these concerns led to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, which asserts that, while corruption exists in all countries, this “evil phenomenon” is “most destructive” in the global South, where it is a “key element in economic underperformance and a major obstacle to poverty alleviation and development\.” There’s only one problem with this theory” It’s just not true!
Rich Corruption Breeds Poverty
Nothing the CPI’s definition of corruption as “the misuse of public power for private benefit,” Dr Hickel uses official statistics and known economic development “culture” to expose now institutionalised means of corrupt economic practices which rich West uses to impoverish poor South.
Some more of his arguments: “According to the World Bank, corruption in the form of bribery and theft by government officials, the main target of the UN Convention, costs developing countries between $20Bn and $40Bn each year. That’s a lot of money. But it’s an extremely small proportion – only about 3 percent – of the total illicit flows that leak out of public coffers. Tax avoidance, on the other hand, accounts for more than $900bn each year, money that multinational corporations steal from developing countries through practices such as trade mispricing.
“This enormous outflow of wealth is facilitated by a shadowy financial system that includes tax havens, paper companies, anonymous accounts, and fake foundations, with the City of London at the very heart of it. Over 30 percent of global foreign direct investment is booked through tax havens, which now collectively hide one sixth of the world’s total private wealth.
“This is a massive – indeed, fundamental – cause of poverty in the developing world, yet it does not register in the mainstream definition of corruption absent from the UN Convention, and rarely, if ever, appears on the agenda of international development organisations.”
In his brief, Hickel goes on to illustrate how corrupt institutions and practices in the developed nations undermine struggling economies and even are utilized to bolster the very dictatorial regimes some Western democracies pretend to dislike. He discusses the non-transparent, undemocratic nature of the World Bank, the IMF, the US Treasury and even the City of London. Between the eighties and nineties developing countries lost around $480 Billion per year of potential GDP! Human devastation for the poor but wealth for the Western Corporations gaining access to new markets, cheap labour and fresh avenues for capital flight.
I recommend Hickel’s piece titled “Flipping the Corruption Myth” as it exposes how “exported corruption” impedes the development of the poor, encouraging local mischief. It even begs the question: which is more corrupt – the undemocratic regimes sucking their constituents, dry, or the powerful which allows them to? Discuss…
Positives – since independence ’66
Look, we know there is hardly anything like true complete Independence where nations are concerned. It’s an economically interdependent world society.
Since 1966 poor us – we’ve really been trying to safeguard the constitutional sovereignty May ’66 handed us. How well have we done? Except for Ankoko and Venezuelan’s relative military might, we have protected territorial integrity from claims from the continental East and West.
For a final time, I’ll list my reasonably – “good things” since “Independence.” Here goes again:
Independence itself – even though the major parties representing the subjects were divided in relation to constitutional details, the people yearned to be citizens and welcomed sovereignty. (2) Peaceful co-existence – I still maintain that since the racial/political cauldron of ’62 to ’64 we have lived together in spite of the “polarisation” others trumpet. (3) As the PNC could claim, we’ve had great long-time infrastructure. (Yes they all need upgrades now.) Our own shipyards, the highways, schools, bridges etc. (4) Import “substitution” – Forbes Burnham “instigated” manufacture of our own home-grown-foods. (5) The GNS – with some faults, this National Youth Service was a significant force for social transformation. (6) CARICOM and Carifesta – No need to argue about Burnham’s/Guyana’s vision with these two (7) Foreign policy – from Forbes to Cheddi’s Book, Guyana was respected beyond its size.
Each administration would list its achievements since May 1966. My list is but a teaser. What’s yours? Even as you admit that aspects of our existence reflect significant stagnation!
Ponder, reflect…
.1) Again! Convert that abandoned co-op bank building at Stabroek into a proper vendors arcade.
.2) So the Police Legal Adviser ensures that the DPP receives proper police cases. Two powerful ladies!
.3) Are local workers at foreign/international missions in Georgetown fully covered?
.4) Coming soon! The role and effect of print media commentators, columnists, analysts – and the mentality of new local community leaders.
’Til next week!
