GUYANA, over the past two years, has made great progress in strengthening its national anti-corruption system.

The achievements of the Dr Irfaan Ali-led administration in the fight against corruption add to the accomplishments of previous People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administrations.

Guyana has a strong anti-corruption structure that is based on a consultative process, incorporated in the constitution, and well integrated with a power-sharing model to improve inclusiveness. Many of the methods and procedures we use today were developed during the constitutional reform process that began in 2000.

Today, the country benefits from a mixture of laws; constitutional agencies; statutory bodies and parliamentary committees, all working as pressure valves addressing the multitude of issues which could affect the country’s corruption assessment, including the Integrity Commission, the Public Procurement Commission, and the Service Commissions, to name a few.

Additionally, Guyana is required to follow anti-corruption policies at both the regional and global levels of the international system. Guyana must comply with the periodic reporting requirements linked to any international anti-corruption measure in order to fulfil that responsibility.

The Inter-American Convention Against Corruption, the first and oldest of its kind, was ratified by Guyana in 2001, making it one of the first nations to do so. In a similar vein, the nation joined the UNCAC in 2008, ratified the Lima Commitment for Democratic Governance Against Corruption in 2018, and endorsed the Political Declaration on Corruption from the UN General Assembly Special Session. Guyana went a step further and agreed to join the CELAC Working Group, which focuses on preventing and eliminating corruption. The duties that Guyana has to other countries are numerous.

The Dr Irfaan Ali-led PPP/C government has made openness and accountability a top priority ever since assuming office in 2020. Given that the COVID-19 pandemic was still having an adverse economic impact on the nation when the PPP/C took office, the administration managed the response to the pandemic while also building the social safety net and advancing the framework for regulating Guyana’s oil-and-gas sector.

The Natural Resources Fund Act, which the former APNU+AFC government capriciously enacted, was repealed and restructured as a key component of the PPP/C government’s construction of the oil-and-gas framework with Guyanese citizens in mind. This new version eliminated the complicated formula the previous administration used to calculate withdrawals from the fund and ensured a new provision that required the Finance Minister to make public disclosures or face a significant prison term, once fouled.

The Santiago Principles, which aim to safeguard the global investment environment and, among other things, “ensure that SWFs [Sovereign Wealth Funds] have in place a transparent and sound governance structure that provides adequate operational controls, risk management, and accountability,” are fully complied with by the current version of the NRF law.

There is no questioning the PPP/C administration’s dedication to collaborating continuously with stakeholders to develop the nation’s anti-corruption framework.

In a recent joint statement to commemorate International Anti-Corruption Day and the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the UN Convention against Corruption, US Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch; British High Commissioner, Jane Miller; Canadian High Commissioner, Mark Berman, and EU Ambassador René van Nes, gave the government high praise for consistently making efforts to fortify its anti-corruption framework and policies for greater transparency and accountability
“Guyana’s government has held anti-corruption workshops and developed an anti-corruption manual. Also, recent amendments to the Representation of the People Act have been made to try to further promote fair and transparent elections. In addition, the revised Natural Resource Fund Act allows for increased transparency and improved management over Guyana’s natural resource wealth.

“Importantly, amendments to Guyana’s anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism legislation may clear its path to membership in the prestigious Egmont Group, which facilitates cooperation and intelligence-sharing among international financial intelligence units to investigate and prevent money laundering and terrorist financing,” the statement said.