The Vice President has it wrong!

Nov 01, 2024 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

…Peeping Tom

Kaieteur News- Now, according to Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, the government’s anti-corruption system is “working.” Now, that would be a comforting thought if only the system weren’t about as porous as a colander.

Consider, for a moment, the concept of “anti-corruption architecture.” The phrase itself conjures up visions of strong, impenetrable walls, fortified gates, maybe even a moat to keep out the corrupt and the conniving. But here, our anti-corruption “architecture” is more like a broken screen door: it keeps out the flies but lets in the elephants. It catches the small, occasional offender – a stray official who couldn’t keep his hands out of the cookie jar – but when it comes to the real fraud, the systemic rot, that screen door is as good as no door at all. The Vice President would have us believe that the mere filing of charges against someone – anyone – is evidence that the system works. But if we’re honest, the real test of an anti-corruption framework isn’t charging someone; it’s preventing him from ever reaching for the loot in the first place.

Anti-corruption measures, truly effective ones, create a culture where fraud and malfeasance aren’t just frowned upon but are almost unthinkable. When the only line of defense is reactionary – audits and investigations long after the fact – you’re not stopping corruption. You’re just shaking your head at its ingenuity.

Now, years ago, we were told that internal audit departments would be established in every government agency, acting as sentinels against misconduct. An effective internal audit function can serve as a deterrent to those tempted by the dark side of bureaucracy. Yet here we are, reading the Auditor General’s report year after year, seeing the same issues flagged like repeat offenses in a soap opera. Audits without clout, delays without accountability – these are hardly signs of a robust, self-policing government. Instead, what we’ve got is a system where, rather than preventing corruption, we’re endlessly chasing after it with brooms and dustpans.

And speaking of brooms and dustpans, let’s talk about the Public Procurement Commission. In a sensible world, this body would be a mighty watchdog, a sharp-eyed eagle keen to root out corruption before the ink dries on dubious contracts. In reality, the Commission is like an umpire at a game who can’t see the ball – not because it’s fast, but because someone keeps hiding it from him. Delays in document sharing, excuses for non-cooperation, endless bureaucratic shuffles; when your oversight commission is frustrated by procedural obstacles, the question isn’t whether corruption is happening but rather why no one is moving heaven and earth to prevent it.

What is helping to catch those involved is not the ‘system’. It is the leaks, the anonymous tip-offs, the “whistleblowers” who point fingers at under-the-table deals. Without these we would never know anything about what’s happening in the murky underworld of Guyanese governance. The government’s vaunted “anti-corruption” system, if anything, owes its limited successes to the courage of the leaker, the whistleblower, the person who – quite possibly in despair – blows open a story for the rest of us. This is not a system. It’s an accident.

So what’s to be done? Well, for starters, the government could consider a trifecta of reforms. First, actually establish strong internal audit departments in every agency – real oversight, not just decorative positions. These departments, staffed with individuals unafraid to call out discrepancies, could become true warriors against corruption.

Second, how about appointing an Inspector General with sweeping authority, an individual empowered to probe any and every government transaction, ministerial or otherwise? Imagine, just imagine, an official who isn’t deterred by rank or position, someone whose job is to keep ministers, agencies, and officials looking over their shoulders. Accountability isn’t about easy charges here and there; it’s about a culture of fear – fear of being caught, exposed, and dealt with.

And finally, we arrive at a novel concept: transparency. Yes, the very word might bring about nervous glances in high offices, but hear me out. What if, say, every minister, beginning with the Vice President himself, were to make their financial declarations public before the Integrity Commission? Radical, I know. But let’s not forget, transparency is the ultimate disinfectant.

No minister wants his assets open to scrutiny, especially not if he’s got more in the tax havens than in his home country. Public declarations are to corruption what sunlight is to mold: a purifying force, the kind of transparency that would be a game-changer.

Because, let’s face it, the current system isn’t working, no matter what the Vice President says. We don’t need half-hearted anti-corruption “initiatives” that amount to little more than paper-pushing. We need bold, audacious reforms, like internal audits with authority, an Inspector General unafraid of his own shadow, and yes, transparency with a capital “T.”

(The Vice President has it wrong)

“anti-corruption architecture.”, Anti-corruption measures, internal audit, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo

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