Latest update April 26th, 2026 12:45 AM
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Total War
Kaieteur News – President Irfaan Ali spoke in his second inauguration with the vigor of a second term chief executive. His confidence was on full display, his feet firmly set on the warpath, and his pronouncements indicated a take no prisoner’s attitude. From his address, we hear that the president is declaring the equivalent of total war on corruption.
There is no question that this is welcome, overdue by many moons, and Guyanese listen guardedly in the hope that their president will deliver this time. We have carried a little blurb almost daily, which is dug up in the light of President Ali’s words. Corruption is a cancer, and it has been sucking this country dry for decades under different governments, and different presidents.
Corruption has sapped the essence of this country, has been allowed to mutate into a national presence of monstrous proportions. It could be that one of the reasons that Guyanese had such little interest, could not be inspired to turn out and vote, in the September 1 elections was due to the reportedly high levels of government corruption. Corruption diminishes the energy out of governance, and tarnishes the reputations of many in and out of government. It seems that the president has had enough, doesn’t want to hear another whisper about corruption.
Apparently, the corruption monster came too close for comfort in sinking the PPPC in the last elections. It was not only about who ripped off the National Treasury through inflated contracts, and the sweetheart contracts awarded to cronies of the PPPC Government. Rather frighteningly, it was how much corruption in the management of government business cheated run-of-the mill Guyanese from sharing in the fruits of their massive national patrimony. Many of have nots had their say in the last elections, when they did not turn out to vote in their numbers. They are sure not to have said their last word, should corruption continue at the rampant rate that it has been in the local environment.
In effect, President Ali had one of two options. Bury his head in the sand and pretend that there is no corruption, or that it doesn’t exist at the tearaway levels that are obvious. The other option is to get serious about corruption and launch an initiative to beat it down and change the whole playing field on how the government does the people’s business and spends the taxpayer’s money. From his inaugural speech, it is clear that the president has chosen the more aggressive and disruptive course of action. We are in his corner when corruption is the issue at hand, but on one condition only. He is serious, and his anticorruption efforts will be strong and sustained.
From Sunday’s inaugural address, Guyanese heard of the formation of an Anti-Corruption Unit. We at this paper think that such a Unit could be an invaluable asset in the total war that the president has declared against corruption. The Unit would only deliver value, if it is made up of men and women who are ‘untouchables.’ That is, their hands don’t reach out to collect bribes, and that incentives offered to the Unit’s members are swatted away and reported, and those trying to throw sand in the anticorruption engine are dealt with. The president also said that the national procurement system will be overhauled. When the procurement system operates with one blemish after another, then corruption just found a home to flourish. It is going to be an extremely difficult undertaking, because any anticorruption unit is sure to collide with entrenched interests that have a lot to lose if they were to do business cleanly and fairly.
There is a complication for President Ali to consider. Some of the corrupt operators in Guyana are reported to be friends and relations to the PPPC Government. The president could find himself in the unhappy situation of having to disown some of the party’s longstanding, faithful comrades. It will be interesting to observe how he handles such developments, should they occur. Further, the anticorruption sweep extends to the private sector, which makes a tricky situation more complicated. We wish the president success with his Anti-Corruption Unit, which could brighten his star, inspire Guyanese to believe.
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