Latest update April 24th, 2026 12:40 AM
Sempiternal corruption in Guyana
Dear Editor,
In the mid-1960s in London, when a Eurasian colleague told me how much money her family had to spend on bribing government officials in India to get visas for herself, her mother and two sisters to settle in the UK, I was surprised, and told her so.
I said that could never happen in the country of my birth. If only I had a polished crystal ball at that time! Reading the letter about Guyana now being “one of the most corrupt countries in the Caribbean” convinces me of my optimism and naivety. . When I tried to resettle in Guyana in the mid-1990s, I experienced corruption, from top to bottom, and I wrote about these experiences while there and will not repeat them now.
However, what I will say is that there is no turning back – things can only get worse. It is the nature of the beast, and started way back in the 1970s, slowly creeping forward, eventually blanketing every aspect of life.
When, in the mid-1980s, a new President took over and tried to halt the creep, many recognised that he meant well. Then we all know what happened. Now, corruption is well and truly entrenched. And it is difficult to see, with even the best will in the world, what could be done to stop it. A whole generation knows no other way of life – or how to survive in different circumstances.
The rich and powerful enjoy the benefit that their position affords them, and who is there to stop them? One suspects that every successive government will eventually be infected with the virus.Best wishes during the next 50 years.
Geralda Dennison
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