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AFC calls out Minister Teixeira for knocking Transparency International
Kaieteur News – The Alliance For Change (AFC) has condemned remarks made by Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira during the 9th Annual Conference of Commonwealth Caribbean Association of Integrity Commissions and Anti-Corruption Bodies.
It was reported that the Minister knocked Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) labeling it as faulty, even as she stressed anti-corruption measures should see the strengthening of democratic institutions.
AFC leader, Khemraj Ramjattan
During the AFC’s weekly press conference on Friday, Leader of the party, Khemraj Ramjattan told reporters that Teixeira sought to disparage and mock Transparency International for situating Guyana and other CARICOM countries as seriously corrupt in that body’s Corruption Perceptions Index.
He said, “The AFC views this reprehensible attack on a foremost authority on corruption perceptions as more evidence of an elective despotism emanating out of the PPP Government.”
Ramjattan argued that the new government after taking office in 2020 have taken on a management routine of framing critics and dissidents as the “enemy”. He said, “Instead of fairly evaluating and wisely addressing the message of these critics and dissidents, it is, with feral blasts, head-bashing the messengers.”
The leader of the party also noted his disapproval of the Minister’s attempt to involve other CARICOM nations in her “sordid project of denouncing Transparency International by playing the ignominious North /South card.”
According to Ramjattan, “The corrupt and lawless leaders of this Government today want to strengthen their grip on power by foolishly picking political fights with local and international critics of their governance and accountability.”
He fears that other reputable watchdog organizations such as the ‘Reporters without Borders’ may also be subjected to discrediting remarks when the next report is issued on World Press Freedom Day.
Ramjattan pointed out that the country has seen the government’s “witch-hunting” of the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) and the organization, International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly – Guyana (IDPADA-G) as well as an ordinary critic and former Auditor General, Anand Goolsarran.
“The AFC warns that this assault on the free flow of information especially on matters concerning corruption and bad governance and which is a basic ingredient for democratic accountability is a frightening development. Gail Teixeira’s attempt at disparagement of TI must therefore forthrightly be condemned,” Ramjattan urged.
The 9th Annual Conference of the Commonwealth Caribbean Association of Integrity Commissions and Anti-Corruption Bodies (CCAICACB) was hosted this week at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Liliendaal. The conference opened on April 17.
During the conference, Minister Teixeira highlighted what she claimed as inaccuracies of the global index used to measure corruption in Caribbean countries, the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index. She pointed out that many articles in international media paint Caribbean countries as corrupt.
Rather, the minister identified empirical data as the only credible source recognised by Guyana and expressed the importance of Caribbean countries conducting more of their own research, and writing their own stories. She expanded on this point, noting that these indices give numerous amounts of power to a small number of persons in evaluating an entire country.
She reasoned, “How is it that the CPI of the TI points out that the southern part of the world is more corrupt than the others? Isn’t that rather coincidental? For me, this is a reflection of prejudices and biases against persons in the developing world.”
The Minister continued, “In the Caribbean, we have to find a way to deal with the smallness and the uniqueness of some of our countries. We also need to strengthen our institutions, if we want to make a good forward movement to reduce corruption.”
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