Power talks

Mar 13, 2010 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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The United States Government has just released its annual Country Human Rights Report. In respect to Guyana, the report rehashes the usual concerns about alleged deaths at the hands of the police and the allegations of torture leveled against the Disciplined Services.
However, for the first time, as far as this columnist can recall, the report expresses concerns about corruption. This is what the report states:
The law provides for criminal penalties for official corruption; however, the government did not implement the law effectively.
The World Bank’s worldwide governance indicators reflected that government corruption was a serious problem.
There was a widespread public perception of serious corruption in the government, including law enforcement and the judicial system. Low wage public servants were easy targets for bribery.
The law in question which the report refers to is no doubt the Public Procurement Act of which the Public Procurement Commission is still to be implemented.
The very fact that the United States has for the first time seen it fit to criticize the ruling government over government corruption and the fact that it specifically mentions the ineffectiveness of the law, suggests that the US has on its radar concerns over the award of government contracts and it is in this area that it wishes to see greater transparency by the government.
The authorities within the United States often know more about what is going on than local. This is why they have been able to prosecute suspected drug lords. They have their intelligence; they do their work and they build their cases.
They also follow closely what is taking place and do not easily rush to judgment. It is highly unusual for the US State Department to indicate concerns about government corruption. But they have and this suggests that they have been following closely the reports in this newspaper which have exposed a great deal of wrong things that have been happening in Guyana.
The United States is not going to comment on corruption if it felt it was an isolated phenomenon. Concerns about corruption often only appear in its human rights reports where these impact on security enforcement. But in this instance it has commented on official corruption and this suggests that the US has been paying keen attention to the reports in this newspaper.
This newspaper has made some startling revelations in relation to government contracts and in no instance has the government responded with an investigation.
Now that the most powerful nation has spoken, some action will likely be forthcoming.
However, the United States is not also likely to be sidetracked by the government making scapegoats of a few small fries. The United is very familiar with how foreign governments respond to charges of corruption and thus will not likely be impressed by stop-gap measures that have either been implemented or are being contemplated.
The government can revert to its usual lambasting of the US and hope that this matter will disappear with time. The United States, through its Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, has indicated that these reports will inform US policy to the respective countries.
In fact, the very purpose of these reports is to condition US policy responses since human rights and other issues now determine foreign policy choices.
The government of Guyana therefore has to respond to the report and has to take action.
While the level of bilateral assistance that Guyana receives from the United States is negligible, that country’s is a powerful nation and its views help to determine how the major financial institutions are going to respond.
And if the United States says that it is concerned about corruption and transparency in Guyana, then this has a direct bearing on whether those institutions,  would be willing to commit further funds.
Investors will also take their signals from these reports and since often they require political insurance to protect their investments, concerns about corruption can help to drive investments away from Guyana.
This is why there has to be a response and already there are signs that the ruling party knows that the United States and others are concerned about the perceptions of corruption in Guyana.
A great many things are going to have to be put right. The Procurement Commission will now have to be implemented. It is also likely that an Inspectorate General’s Office will have to be established.
In addition, there is likely to be pressure on the government to address the resource constraints in the Office of the Auditor General’s Office. Further, it is possible that the Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly will benefit from technical assistance so as to allow it to function more effectively as a watchdog against corruption.
The United States has made known its concern and now we will see a mad rush to appease the Americans. Despite all the tongue lashing that is leveled against the Americans whenever there are criticisms of the government the fact remains that power talks and everything else walks.

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