According to a recent Transparency International Survey of citizens’ views and experiences of corruption, a majority of Guyanese think corruption in government is a big problem even as a larger number think that government is doing well in tackling the problem.
The 10th edition of the Global Corruption Barometer – Latin America and the Caribbean which was published on Monday reports that a majority of Latin American and Caribbean citizens, 53% think corruption increased in their country over the period January 2018 to January 2019 while far fewer, 16% think it declined.
In Guyana out of an equal number of the 890 persons surveyed, 40%, report corruption as increasing and decreasing. According to the report this is the only country in which a sizeable proportion of citizens report decreasing corruption.
The report explains that the Barometer presents the largest, most detailed set of public opinion data on citizens’ views on corruption and their direct experiences of bribery in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Between January and March 2019, the Global Corruption Barometer (GCB) surveyed more than 17,000 citizens in 18 countries across the region. In Guyana 890 were surveyed between February 20 and March 18.
The results of the survey show that more than half of all citizens think corruption is getting worse in their country and that their government is doing a bad job at tackling it.
Guyana’s numbers however reflect a 40% belief that corruption is increasing and a 67% belief that government is doing well in tackling corruption.
Noting the corruption contributes to the erosion of citizens’ trust in government, the report explains that Barbados and Guyana are the only two countries where a majority of citizens have trust in government, courts and police.
Comparatively in Venezuela, El Salvador, Colombia, Guatemala, Panama and Peru, 90% or more of citizens report that they have little or no trust in these institutions.
The report also shows that more than four in five Guyanese, 82%, believe that their voice matters and that ordinary citizens can make a difference in the fight against corruption.
The GCB found more than one in five people who accessed public services, such as water and electricity, paid a bribe in the preceding year and that Presidents, prime ministers and parliamentarians are seen as most corrupt.
“More than half of people think most or all elected politicians and their officials are corrupt and favour private over public interests,” the report states.
The Guyana Police Force was the institution which most Guyanese, 42%, found to be corrupt.
Further while more than one in five citizens who accessed public services, such as health care and education, paid a bribe in 2018 only 27% of the Guyanese surveyed did so. Again it was the Police whom the largest number, 40%, paid bribes.
The report which was compiled with funding from the Inter-American Development Bank makes several recommendation including that Governments should ensure a transparent environment for elections, enforce sanctions against vote-buying and uphold and reform campaign finance regulations. “In addition, governments and businesses should tackle fake news by reducing the economic incentives for producing it and by supporting fact-based journalism,” it concludes.
