Broad-based citizens’ initiative needed to tackle corruption

Sep 13, 2009 AFC Column, Features / Columnists

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By Sheila Holder, MP and AFC Vice-Chair

THE HARDSHIP AND DEPRIVATION OF OUR PEOPLE MUST BE STOPPED
Guyanese people have a way of tactfully hiding the hardship and deprivation they experience as a result of poverty. It is a quiet dignity that is part of our culture which leads many to hide the fact that the cost of living has outrun their disposable income.
Based on current levels of salaries for university graduates and professionals in the public service, the earning ability of artisans and unskilled workers, many Guyanese find themselves in poverty or close to the poverty line. Hidden from our eyes is the fact that too many of our people could hardly muster one meal a day, and on some days in some areas, children go hungry in spite of the efforts of some in the religious community.
IS POVERTY A STATE OF MIND?
It is said that poverty is a state of mind. Indeed, this might be true to a certain extent in the case of Guyana given the society’s complexities of racial politics, the spawning of ethnic insecurities, and the failure of the electorate to hold elected officials accountable for the poor standards of governance that fuel corruption and inequities in the society.
THE POOR WILL ALWAYS BE WITH US
To say that the poor will always be with us is to use this truism as an excuse to do nothing about poverty in our society; but more importantly to turn our backs on the poor is to court the wrath of God as we are told by all the major faiths in Guyana (Hindu, Moslem, Baha’i, Christian, etc.). The tenets of all these faiths emphasise our obligation to the poor individually and collectively.
In any case, this does not absolve the Guyana government from its responsibility to reduce levels of poverty as mandated by our Constitution, the government’s commitment with respect to the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), and their own Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP).
THE IMPORTANCE OF TACKLING POVERTY
Tackling poverty is also a sine qua non for social stability. Therefore, the non availability of reliable data on poverty, unemployment and under employment levels in Guyana is indicative of a less than ardent approach by this government to tackling the scourge of poverty in our country.
WHY HARP ABOUT CORRUPTION
The AFC was recently urged by one, who would be described in our society as a successful businessman, to get off the ‘corruption flogging horse’ because corruption exists all over the world.
This attitude has become evident in our society based on the belief that ‘oiling the palm’ of those in authority is the only way to get one’s business accomplished. Therefore, for the AFC to be frequently ‘harping’ about corruption is to be a hindrance to business interests.
There are several reasons why we must tackle corruption. The most striking one was revealed by the World Bank (WB) in one of their publications a few years ago that stated 15% of the cost of government’s contracts is lost to corruption.
In a World Bank study titled, ‘Governance, Corruption and Poverty: Analytical and Empirical approaches’ a nexus was drawn between poverty and corruption. The study revealed that disproportionally, bribes had a greater negative impact on the poor and on small businesses than they had on high and medium income earners and businesses. The study further showed that corruption was a regressive tax on households because of the percentage of bribes reportedly paid by end users of public services.
WORLD BANK (WB) RECOMMENDATIONS TO CURTAIL CORRUPTION
How do we reduce corruption? First of all government must possess the political will to deal with corruption by introducing public procurement and budgetary reforms; by reforming the judiciary to be more accessible and responsive to the poor; by reforming the Civil Service; by establishing accountability principles in the police force; and, last but not least, by the collective action of a broad coalition of civil society and accountable political leadership.
It would be interesting to note that the WB survey also concluded that when meritocracy was applied in hiring and promotions in the Public Service it helped to reduce corruption significantly.
MORE ON THE WB STUDY
The WB study went on to reveal that, more often than not, corruption is accompanied by policies of centralized power; where leaders are not accountable to those they serve; where rewards are given to political supporters by various means which could not stand public scrutiny (Kaieteur News has been highlighting such cases) and; more directly, corruption inhibits development. Guyana is an ideal example of these conditions.
THE AFC’S CONTENTION
The data in these studies provide a rational basis for the AFC’s position which posits that dealing substantially with corruption will make available significant amounts of revenues lost to corruption, not only to pay better wages and salaries to civil servants, but also to fulfil some development aspirations of the Guyanese people. This in turn, we believe, will significantly reduce the astonishing 85% attrition rate of UG graduates; encourage investment; reduce the hopelessness hanging over the society, and impact positively on the galloping distrust and disrespect overshadowing our government, public officials and State institutions.
ANOTHER REASON FOR A CITIZENS’ INITIATIVE TO TACKLE CORRUPTION
The economic intelligence forecast on Guyana for 2008/9 states that talented Guyanese will continue to leave the country; that because our political system is driven by race it will continue to retard the attainment of better governance; that the Guyanese public has no confidence in the institutions of State; and that the absence of checks and balances in our political system has led to unbridled misuse of executive power.
In this vein of un-enlightened governance, the report warned potential investors that the governance factor has been at the root of Guyana’s problems since independence. It observed that the current Government’s decision making process was slow and opaque and that an extraordinary number of issues were resolved in Cabinet or in the Office of the President, a process that is not open to public scrutiny. Given these distressing realities, I urge that a broad-based citizens’ initiative be launched to tackle the scourge of corruption.

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