CORRUPTION has become a major political issue for politicians all over the world. The 2010 Corruption Perception Index showed that nearly three-quarters of the 178 countries surveyed scored below 5 on a scale from 10 (highly clean) to 0 (highly corrupt).

Denmark, New Zealand and Singapore are tied at the top of the list with a score of 9.3 with Somalia, Myanmar and Afghanistan trailing at the bottom with scores ranging from 1.1 to 1.5.

In Guyana, several measures have been introduced by the PPP/C administration to guard against corrupt practices. These included the establishment of the Integrity Commission in which senior government officials and those involved in the conduct of public affairs are required to submit, on an annual basis, income statements. There is also the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) which is chaired by an opposition Member of Parliament and includes representatives from all the parties represented in Parliament. Unlike what transpired under the previous PNC administration, the Auditor General’s Report is presented to the Speaker of the National Assembly every year which formed the basis for the work of the Public Accounts Committee.

Recent developments have shown that dealing with corruption remains a big challenge for governments all across the globe.

According to a Reuters Report, the most powerful pro-business voice in neighbouring Brazil tendered his resignation following a scandal over finances. Chief of Staff Antonio Palocci who was seen as the most influential officer in President’s Dilma Rouseff’s government reportedly resigned to prevent the scandal from becoming an ongoing distraction. President Rouseff accepted his resignation.

Also hitting the news locally is the case of Guyanese real estate attorney in the United States who was sentenced to five years in jail for his role in a US$23M mortgage fraud involving himself and a number of other Guyanese.

A release from the office of the United States Attorney, Southern District of New York, said the announcement was made by Preet Bharara, the United States attorney. The fraud involved loans totaling US$23M on over 44 properties in the New York area. According to media reports, Goberdhan received millions of dollars in illegal funds from the scheme, in which he worked with corrupt loan officers of Guy-American Funding, a mortgage brokerage in Queens, New York.

Then there is the recent fiasco in the world governing body for football, FIFA, where allegations of corruption have been surfacing among senior executives including FIFA’s President Sepp Blatter and Trinidadian Jack Warner who was recently suspended from FIFA’s executive committee following accusations that he sought to bribe officials of the Caribbean Football Union and CONCACAF at a special meeting in Trinidad and Tobago in early May to switch support from Blatter to rival Bin Hammam in the run-up to FIFA’s elections.

Corruption has now become a major weapon used by the populace to get rid of corrupt politicians and regimes as is happening in the Middle East where it is now discovered that millions of dollars were siphoned off by corrupt leaders who amassed untold wealth at the expense of taxpayers.

Bin Hammam was himself suspended. Analysts are of the view that the charges of allegations were motivated by other considerations which essentially had to do with a bitter power struggle within the organization for leadership positions.

The issue of corruption assumed dramatic proportions a few days ago when a Yoga Guru attempted to starve himself in public view against corruption allegations against government officials.

Indian police attempted to break up the protest action initiated by the Guru but the allegations resonated with a wide cross-section of the Indian public and is now proving to be not only an embarrassment to the ruling Congress Party but could be politically costly as well.

In the wake of the protest action, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urged Cabinet ministers to declare their assets to improve government transparency even as critics criticize the Guru himself for amassing millions by way of illegal donations.

Corruption has now become a major weapon used by the populace to get rid of corrupt politicians and regimes as is happening in the Middle East where it is now discovered that millions of dollars were siphoned off by corrupt leaders who amassed untold wealth at the expense of taxpayers.

This perception of corruption is one of the driving forces in the current upheaval in the Middle East which has seen the removal of two leaders and the imminent removal of at least three others. The Libyan, Syrian and Yemenis leaders are hanging on precariously and, from all indications, it is only a question of time before they are removed from power.

In the recent presidential elections in Peru, the left-leaning Ollanta Humala defeated his challenger Keiko Fujimori in a tightly contested presidential battle. Keiko Fujimori is the daughter of jailed ex-President Alberto Fujimori who was accused of corrupt practices during his term in office.

The stigma of corruption seemed to have adversely affected the presidential fortunes of his daughter who narrowly lost the race in favour of Humala.

Corruption is a cancer that must be eradicated since it eats into the sinews of the state and prevents it from realizing its true potential. Every citizen is poorer for every corrupt action on the part of persons entrusted to administer the affairs of the state. This is why no effort should be spared to bring those found guilty of corrupt practices to face the full consequences of the law.

In Guyana, several measures have been introduced by the PPP/C administration to guard against corrupt practices. These included the establishment of the Integrity Commission in which senior government officials and those involved in the conduct of public affairs are required to submit, on an annual basis, income statements. There is also the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) which is chaired by an opposition Member of Parliament and includes representatives from all the parties represented in Parliament. Unlike what transpired under the previous PNC administration, the Auditor General’s Report is presented to the Speaker of the National Assembly every year which formed the basis for the work of the Public Accounts Committee.