FOLLOWING the release of the Transparency International 2013 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), Secretary to the Cabinet, Dr Roger Luncheon yesterday said the body has once again shown that it is “rather uncharitable” to the government.Speaking to reporters following his weekly post-Cabinet press briefing at the Office of the President in Georgetown, Luncheon said Transparency International (TI) has failed to recognize the efforts that the government has been making over time in addressing the issue of transparency and accountability.

Luncheon said he felt that the body was falling prey to the “wickedness” that some members of the media perpetrate in making unqualified and unsubstantiated conjectures about government and corruption.

A report released last Tuesday showed Guyana ranking 27 out of 100 points in the CPI, as compared to last year when the country obtained 28 points. Barbados scored 75 points, The Bahamas 71, St Lucia 71, Trinidad and Tobago 38, Jamaica 38 and Suriname 36.

According to TI, the ranking this year offers a warning that the abuse of power, secret dealings and bribery continue to ravage societies around the world. More than two thirds of the 177 countries in the 2013 index scored below 50, on a scale from zero to 100.

“The Corruption Perceptions Index 2013 demonstrates that all countries still face the threat of corruption at all levels of government, from the issuing of local permits to the enforcement of laws and regulations,” said TI Chair Huguette Labelle.

The Corruption Perceptions Index is based on experts’ opinions of public sector corruption.
Written By Telesha Ramnarine