COMBATING CORRUPTION

Sep 09, 2015 Editorial

In Guyana, the Cabinet and other senior members of the government should always be measured by their adherence to moral values, as demonstrated by honesty, truthfulness and genuine selfless service to the people.
Morality is the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behaviour. Morality should be taken seriously by those elected to manage the affairs of the state. The government should not be managed by a group of people who are immoral or who serve for the purposes of self-aggrandizement or personal gains.
Dishonesty and immorality, which are born out of greed and disloyalty to the people often lead to corruption and public defamation and disrepute of the government, thus lessening its chances for future victory at the polls.
At no time should ministers of the government and other senior public officials indulge in corrupt practices. Those who do should face the full force of the law like any other ordinary citizens.
Corruption exercises great psychological influence on the mind-set of the ordinary citizens to be likewise corrupt. Less we forget, corruption is defined as “the use of public office for private gain.” It is the buying of political office and the award of lucrative overpriced government contracts to friends, relatives and selected party officials in exchange for kick-backs to government officials.
Other forms of corruption include the siphoning of public funds; funds originally intended to provide much needed amenities, social services, and other benefits to the people. The demand of bribes from potential foreign investors, and payments to phantom companies for phantom goods and services by public officials are also deemed as corruption.
Elected officials who swore to uphold the truth and to carry out their duty without fear or favour should not be overly engulfed in the use of government power and privilege to procure monetary gains and social benefits for themselves, their families, friends and key supporters of the governing party.
State funds that are generated by the people must be distributed impartially and equitably apportioned for the welfare of all classes of society. All government ministers must think and act fairly and respectfully and without prejudice. They should do so on behalf of all the people irrespective of their ethnicity or party affiliations. It is said that intellectuality without morality is destructive; intellectuality with morality is constructive.
The ramification of corruption is wide and far reaching. It acts as an impediment to growth and to national and human development. It impacts negatively on GDP, economic expansion and national prosperity; which in turn adversely affect employment opportunities for the masses.
It impedes essential services to the people and steals from the poor and disadvantaged in society in terms of the establishment of additional social safety nets to further ease their burdens and enhance the quality of their lives.
It misrepresents the truth, ruins high moral standards and character and erodes public trust and confidence. Wherever corruption exists in any government agency, department or ministry, the people suffer because it takes resources away.
It is common knowledge that Guyana is no stranger to rampant corruption. Many still view corruption as an inevitable fact of politics. The many evils associated with corruption during the former administration circumvented all the progress made by that government which ultimately led to its defeat at the polls in the last election.
Now that the APNU+AFC government is in power, the nation, especially the youths must make sure that it does not commit the same transgressions of the last administration. The people must demand real transparency and accountability from the powers that be. They must rid themselves of the complacency that was evident during the last regime and stand up in defiance of the evil influence of corruption. Combating corruption can be the APNU+AFC coalition government’s solution to end poverty in Guyana. Corruption should not be legacy of the nation. It has always been despised by youths who are the future leaders of their communities and the country.

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