OUT of 180 countries whose perceived levels of corruption in the public sector were analysed by Transparency International (TI) in 2017, Guyana was ranked 91st with a score of 38 out of 100.

The index, which ranked 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, according to experts and businesspeople, uses a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean.

According to TI, this year, the index found that more than two-thirds of countries scored below 50, with an average score of 43. “Unfortunately, compared to recent years, this poor performance is nothing new” the international watchdog agency noted in its report.
Guyana, which shared the 91st spot with four other countries, including Sri Lanka, moved up 17 places from 2016. That year the country’s score was 34. Guyana has never been above that midpoint mark. In 2015, it placed 119th out of 168 countries, and in 2014 it was ranked 124th out of 175 countries.

In the region, five countries outperformed Guyana: Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname at 77th place with a score of 41; Jamaica at 68th with a score of 44; Bahamas at 28th with a score of 65; and Barbados which had the highest rank at 25th with a score of 68. Haiti performed the poorest with a score of 22 at 157th place. TI highlighted that this year’s Index highlights that the majority of countries are making little or no progress in ending corruption; while further analysis shows journalists and activists in corrupt countries risking their lives every day in an effort to speak out.

Since assuming office in 2015, the APNU+AFC government has repeatedly committed to putting a dent on corruption in the public sector. This has led to the establishment of the State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU), the establishment of the Public Procurement Commission, and forensic audits of more than 40 state agencies, among other things.

The revelations in the forensic audits were startling with one into the One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) project revealing that over 1900 laptops, totalling in excess of $115M were unaccounted for; while defective laptops had taken the total losses to over M$300.
Another into the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) revealed that contracts issued by the Authority under the PPP Government were mismanaged, while over $9M was spent on fuel for vehicles that were “not working.”

Just recently, President David Granger expressed his disappointment with the level of corruption in the police force, at the annual police officers’ conference. The Head-of-State said that when one sees corruption at the bottom, it is because it is encouraged from the top. He was speaking directly of senior officers who support corruption by junior ranks.

Despite its efforts, however, the government has been repeatedly criticized by citizens for not bringing charges against those who are accused of, or were found to be involved in corrupt practices.