THE fight against corruption will be taken wherever it exists, an assurance that came from President Donald Ramotar, who was upfront in acknowledging the issue as a problem.

“I would not say that there is no corruption in society. I will be the first to say that there is and it is a fight that must go on to fight corruption,” he said in an interview, ‘In Perspective’, with the Berbice-based National Communications Network (NCN).
According to him, his administration has “carried the torch” when it comes to the fight against corruption, a track record that speaks volumes when compared to that of the Government’s critics.
“Mr. Greenidge (Finance spokesman for A Partnership for National Unity) in his entire period as Finance Minister never submitted audited statements,” he said.
Mr. Ramotar added that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration, on the other hand, has presented audited reports of Government’s accounts since it took office and added an additional tier of transparency and accountability by having the Auditor General report to the National Assembly, as opposed to the Finance Minister, which was the case under the former People’s National Congress (PNC) Administration.
Also, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the National Assembly scrutinises the Auditor General’s report and identifies areas for additional investigation to move towards prosecution.
PROCUREMENT
In addition to this, he touted the efforts made in procurement, which sees public bidding being done, as well as the fact that his Cabinet merely offers its no-objection to contracts above $15M, as opposed to the status quo in many other nations where Cabinet awards contracts.
“We have been the ones who have been at the forefront of the fight against corruption,” the President stressed.
He also recognised the existence of the perception that there is corruption even at the lower levels of government’s business, such as the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NCDs).
“The perception is that things are not being done according to the books,” Mr. Ramotar said, adding that his “impression” is that there are complaints relative to ensuring that operations at these levels are above board.
The President said, “We are ready and willing to put additional measures in place to fight corruption…we have to fight corruption
“…it is not enough for us to say it is happening in other places…we must fight it. …our goal and aim must be to eradicate corruption altogether.”
EFFORTS MADE
Good governance, according to him, has supported these efforts, which is underscored by real efforts that have been made by his administration.
Noteworthy too is the fact that Guyana is signatory to two significant anti-corruption conventions: the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption, and the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), ratified in 2000 and 2008 respectively.
Guyana is also one of 31 countries that signed onto and ratified the Inter-American Convention against Corruption in 2001.
The President maintains that support in tackling corruption is welcomed by his administration.
Last year the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) offered technical assistance to the current administration to tackle corruption – an offer President Ramotar made clear that his Government is open to.
CDB Head Warren Smith, at the time of making the offer, said, “We certainly recognise and insist that good governance is part and parcel of the development of a country. We want to see and ensure that the persons we elect exercise good judgment and also good governance. I think that there is sufficient evidence out there that when these principles are not observed it hampers the growth and development of a country.
“…there is no country in this world, and I dare say, that has not had issues with corruption. It is important that countries continuously adopt measures that will reduce the incidents of corruption in their domain… certainly if they (borrowing member countries) request that kind of assistance, the CDB would be more than happy to help.”

“We are not sitting on our hands,” the President stressed.

“…it is not enough for us to say it is happening in other places…we must fight it. …our goal and aim must be to eradicate corruption altogether.” – President Donald Ramotar

By Vanessa Narine