Our corruption icebergs go against the effects of climate change: they don’t melt, they multiply

Jul 18, 2022 Letters

Dear Editor,

“Corruption is once again reaching dangerous levels -Article 13 wants independent investigators to probe Vice News’ allegations” (KN July 17) is certainly an arresting caption. As much as I agree with “dangerous”, I think it is an understatement in several respects.

I move to highlight.

I commend the leaders of this civil society grouping – representing multi-interest visions and intensifying pressures along known fissure lines – for tabling and pinpointing where things are in Guyana. On the other hand, when we speak of corruptions in this country, it is such a massive national octopus that even the best of us really don’t have the fullest grasp of the lengths, extents, and contents of its tentacles. I think I know more of corruption than most in this country, and even I work without some of the scripts. This just goes to show how big, bad, and occasionally beautiful is the local corruption culture and web.

It is not just money and bribe allegations swirling around today’s leaders. Look at their past histories now sweetly swept aside under legal conveniences. Understand carefully that when leaders speak of cash grants and handouts how much they and their people grant and hand to themselves, using a profusion of channels. We don’t need outsiders to enlighten us about ‘middlemen.’ And locals should not react with astonishment, as if they are hearing the word for the first time. Middlemen are the human agents through which leaders insulate themselves and keep matters compartmentalised, which I have written of before. None can say that this leader or that minister asked them for a bribe. We didn’t need non-English speakers to educate us on this score, as the 15 and 20 percent rackets were around long before. This is simply from looking at their concealments, and their friends and insiders. Politicians only keep those kinds of crooks around for specific purposes, whether they have an official public service title or not.

Further, listen to what they say and what follows. Note how the corruptions go beyond million-dollar self-dealings by politicians and public servants, and drift over into words and follow actions (or nonactions). One leader insists that he is about frankness and openness, yet report after report are withheld, which must be included in any consideration of what is defined as corruption here. These are not personal academic or birth certificates, but documents with national significance, which the people need to know. Other leaders in this government have come out to say that this or that study banished fears relative to oil, but since then the shell retreated into serves as safe harbor. No talking, no presenting of anything. It is that people saddled with trust and authority either misspoke (pardonable), or they misrepresented and misled deliberately. If the latter is the case, then it is a clear case of outright exaggeration beyond the breaking point. That is, full-out falsification, or calling things for what they are – nothing but lies. These must rank as not merely failed promises, but part of the corruptions from leaders, minsters, public officers, and others. When added, the verbal corruptions may be just as damaging as the incalculable financial ones.

For all these reasons, therefore, when Article 13 spoke of ‘corruptions reaching dangerous levels, it was a good start, but fell considerably short. Since the time of LFS Burnham, corruptions were at dangerous levels, relative to the financial and political contexts back then. In past PPP Governments, the recent PNC (Coalition) Administration, and this current PPP reign of crookedness, there was nothing that approached ‘reaching’ since that was already left behind. If the idea is that we are reaching new and newer levels with each new big-money development, and big leader, then I am with that. Corruptions are no longer at dangerous levels, but deep inside a catastrophic state. In fact, I would contend that corruption is so catastrophic that we are now catatonic from its assault. Think of this: despite widespread perceptions of corruptions at all levels, Guyanese are so numb (or so benefiting) that they don’t care; it is not a high priority for them. Thus, it flourishes even more. We don’t have one iceberg, but a range of them. In Guyana, our corruption icebergs go against the effects of climate change: they don’t melt, they multiply. Given the resulting national fallouts from such, it is clear that dangerous levels are breached.

Sincerely,

GHK Lall