Corruption in high places has persisted across regimes

Jun 30, 2018 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
Corruption plus countless suspicious and questionable transactions, have been a severe curse on our beautiful country Guyana under several successive administrations, and despite the ongoing outcry of decent Guyanese, we have been unable to stamp out this evil.
It seems to me that no matter what Government is in power, all the way from the 1960s to now, dishonest personnel have infested Ministries, regional systems, commissions and other public service institutions.
In fact, corruption pops up anywhere public officers can manipulate the system to get money that they are not entitled to. It is obvious that we need a zero tolerance to corruption by instituting laws that provide for 20 years imprisonment or even life, as is the case in some countries. It is the country and its people who suffer, but these selfish rogues do not care.
When the PPP came into power, I remember they announced ‘lean, clean and mean’ management. This was good until they discovered many of their own officers, ministers, permanent secretaries and bureaucrats were involved in corruption.
This current administration also campaigned with promises to wipe out corruption and to go after the corrupt personnel. However, with great disappointment I must point out that glaring corruption still blasts in our faces daily.
Almost every sphere of activity is tainted, including the tender system and execution of contracts. We see the manipulation of funds in the Ministries. Even pensioners’ monies are being manipulated by staff. This is most painful and distressing for our nation.
I am perturbed because my business and I are affected. We have seen blatant favouritism by some in power towards certain security companies. I also believe corruption has poisoned the evaluation of bids by contractors for projects awarded through the National Procurement and Tender Administration (NPTA).
Who evaluated the Baramita airstrip project? Were they satisfied with the work done? By what standards was the quality of the project measured?
The NPTA depends on the evaluators who originate from the regions. However, it is well known that certain people have ways of influencing, permanent secretaries, regional officials, evaluators and even REOs, especially in remote regions.
I think the covert influencing of regional officials happens now more than ever before, simply because the Regional Democratic Councils have been vested with more authority. Some officials have no regard for the trust vested in them by their regions and their people to fulfill their duties responsibly, efficiently, and with absolute fairness. Instead, they form ‘unholy alliances’ to satisfy their own interests.
It is clear to me that certain individuals in business know how to get to certain persons in Government to ensure that things work in their favour.
It is a shame that some officials, evaluators, REOs and permanent secretaries approach the awarding of contracts and their execution from a position of favouritism and cronyism and apparently suspected political hatred. The entire system seems to be based on atrocious choices by regional officials to award contracts to their personal favourites, sometimes destroying the businesses of hardworking people who can actually get the job done.
I am appalled that this disgusting trend is continuing under this Government as it did under previous administrations.
Let us sanction the contractors and take action against those who overlooked corrupt tender practices or signed off on bad delivery.
Let us also remember that when dishonest contractors win bids by skullduggery or whatever under-the-table means, they feel protected and they have a tendency to steal VAT as well as workers’ taxes and NIS contributions, and render poor service. All this results in a shortchanging of the country’s Treasury, their own hard-working employees and Guyanese as a whole.
When the new government took power in 2015, there was great euphoria, joy and goodwill amongst the supporters of the former government. However, because of dishonest administrators within the governmental bureaucracy, that goodwill is seriously eroding. I have nothing against the government of the day and, as a professional, I work with any government democratically elected by the people of this country.
Sincerely,
Roshan Khan Snr.

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