PRESIDENTIAL Advisor on Governance, Ms Gail Teixeira, has challenged the credibility of Transparency International’s (TI) latest Corruption Perception Index (CPI) report, which has ranked Guyana at 133 amongst 174 countries.

Acting as Cabinet Secretary in the absence of Dr. Roger Luncheon at this week’s post-Cabinet media briefing, held at the Office of the President on Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Georgetown, yesterday, Ms Teixeira told  reporters that the survey conducted by Transparency International (TI) involved only four persons.
“So four persons…are part of the group that had been asked to give an opinion on Guyana, and they hold in their hands the fate of our country. Four! Four men alone!” she stressed.
In addition, she noted that, in relation to TI, there is currently ongoing a big debate among reputable universities and professors at the international level, particularly examining the consequences subjective, incorrect, or flawed opinions can have on a country.
Teixeira emphasised that the TI report was generated from a non-empirical survey, which is the main issue with those universities and professors.
“People who study these issues do not put much credence on these, except the media. All over the world, (they)  make a big thing of it, because it’s the easiest thing to go through and just pull numbers out and throw them into the newspapers,” she asserted.
She also highlighted the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Article Four’s most recent statement on Guyana, which, again, gave the country a good report.
She added that the IMF goes through extreme and intensive methods before they arrive at conclusions on Guyana; and not only its performance is looked at, but also its prudent fiscal management.
“So if one were to assume that TI is right, then therefore how is it that the IMF, who comes in with their ‘top dogs’ go through every single line and analyses your projections, your revenue, etc. How come they are congratulating Guyana and its commitment to fiscal prudence?” she questioned.
Teixeira further pointed out that, in the World Governance Index on 2011, Guyana’s standing in terms of the rest of the world is at a high level, which is approximately 62 out of 174 countries.
She mentioned that the areas on which they assess Guyana and all the other countries relate to peace and security, rule of law, human rights, sustainable development and human development.
“You can’t have what are high levels of corruption and still come out looking good in human sustainability and economic factors. It’s mathematically, arithmetically impossible,” she remarked.
She noted that Guyana is a signatory to the Inter-American Convention against Corruption, and that the country has been reviewed three times. She related that it is up-to-date in its report, and the fourth review of the countries in the Organisation of American States (OAS) has commenced.
She said preparations for the fourth review of Guyana will begin next year, and the review itself will be done in 2014.
Teixeira emphasised that non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the country are free to be able to comment on Guyana’s performance, but she stressed that it should be a rigid and rigorous methodology presented to the countries, wherein they would have to be the answer on the implementation of the convention against corruption.
She disclosed that Guyana will again have to be reviewed, as the country more recently signed the United Nations (UN) Convention against corruption, which she said has similar but different methodologies from the OAS.
She advised that neither the Inter-American convention’s mechanism nor the UN Convention ranks countries, but rather are more concerned with procedures, systems, governance frameworks, and progress.
She also pointed out that recommendations are made to the countries reviewed to improve the functioning, checks and balances, and oversight that are in place.
Prominent businessman Captain Gerry Gouveia, in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle last Thursday, also lashed out at the findings in the TI Report.
The former Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) dismissed the conclusions contained in the TI Report as “nothing but a mere reflection of a negative perception that is being created by some individuals.”
Captain Gouveia was blunt in his assessment, noting that there has been a massive campaign by persons, whom he called “negaholics”, which according to him are people who spread negativity and are “prophets of doom and gloom”, to create the perception of large-scale corruption in Guyana.