In the country’s best interest

Jun 14, 2017 Editorial, Features / Columnists

Corruption has unfortunately become a culture in this country, despite the talk and all the promises to weed it out. Almost every day there are stories in the news (today’s lead headline among them) about corruption.
So far, only a few have been prosecuted. In general, few persons have been held accountable.
Corruption is the abuse of public office for private gain. It should not be taken lightly, but it was treated in that manner under the last administration.
Its implications are profound and wide-ranging, in that it has spread to all spheres in society. It continues to destroy the psyche of the people and jeopardizes the prospects for economic growth and human development.
It has undermined confidence and trust in the country. There is a sense of resignation on the part of the people as this cancerous disease continues unabated.
Corruption is no longer a perception. It exists in all levels of society. It has thrived in Guyana because many have become wealthy and governments have turned a blind eye to it.
Corruption is not only a political problem, it is a social disease, and while accusations are made from both sides of the political divide, the impact is debilitating.
But there was a time just a few years ago when the average citizen in Guyana did not believe that corruption was a major problem. The public had confidence in the integrity of public servants and persons in positions of trust.
Many believed that corruption or the misappropriated of public funds for personal gain was an issue for other Caribbean countries and not Guyana.
It was only during elections that one would hear politicians accuse their opponents of being corrupt, but they hardly even provided evidence to substantiate their claims. While such allegations may have influenced some voters, no high profile person was ever charged and prosecuted.
However, there has been corruption in Guyana for years. It was so rampant in recent years that it was brought to the forefront of discussion by the public. Several forensic audit reports have shown that there was massive corruption under the last administration in both the private and the public sectors.
The bribers are usually the people from the private sector and the recipients are those in the public sector. There are many types of corruption, but the most common involves kickbacks from the granting of government contracts to contractors. Another is the offer of bribes to ease the difficulty in doing business.
There have been several documented cases of corrupt practices by senior public officials in the last government, but because of political patronage, they were not fired.
In fact, they did not even raise an eyebrow, because everyone was doing it, and also the misguided notion that corruption does not kill. The truth is, corruption does kill, and it is a death that lingers on the economy and affects the people, especially the poor.
The government, when in opposition had promised to weed out corruption if elected to office. It has, in essence, struggled to deliver on its promise, and even though there is a firm commitment to do so, it has not had quite the intended effect as yet.
Being transparent and accountable could go a long way towards reducing corruption. Interestingly, the tables have been reversed, as the government is now being accused of corruption by the opposition in much the same way it had accused the opposition prior to 2015.
The government must continue to strive to keep its promise to curb corruption. It would be in the country’s best interest and would bolster its own credibility. It will be unfortunate if it does not.

Latest News

In the country’s best interest

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | November, 20th, 2024

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

D-Up Basketball Academy Training camp brings Hoop Dreams to Life...

Campbell Eyes Eighth Men’s Physique Title in...

Alphonso, Fung-a-Fat, Munroe among top performers...

Guyana’s finest Physiques to battle for Glory...

CWI names West Indies Test Squad for home series...

Georgetown romp to 292-run win over Select XI

Features/Columnists

Bureaucracy gone bananas!

Rising Gun Crimes in the Caribbean: Urgent Action required by all

Exxon contract can be changed

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

In the country’s best interest

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | November, 20th, 2024

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]