–calls out Goolsarran for lack of advocacy under APNU+AFC administration
–encourages use of recent ‘release’ on CPI in a ‘factual,’ ‘analytical’ manner

MINISTER of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, has called out former Auditor General Anand Goolsarran, for failing to acknowledge the efforts of the government to curb corruption.
Goolsarran, in his column, “Accountability,” criticised the government for rejecting the recently published 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) by Transparency International.
In response, the minister, in a video on Tuesday, said that freedom of speech is not only limited to critics of the government, as government ministers can also express their opinions.
The minister also called for the government’s press statement on the report to be used in a “factual” and an “analytical” manner.

“It appears that every time a minister says ‘no, this is not correct’ or ‘you’re not looking at it correctly,’ this is seen as an attack on the so called influencers and opinion makers of this country, which is absolutely untrue,” she said.
Minister Teixeira stated that her position and the government’s position has been that the CPI under Transparency International is an opinion perception based index.
She also emphasised the lack of advocacy on Goolsarran’s part when infractions were being committed under the APNU+AFC administration.

The biggest of all, she said, was the attempt to rig the 2020 General and Regional Elections, which the minister described as “brazen, vicious and undemocratic.”
Further, she said that Goolsarran is ignoring the efforts of the PPP/C administration to tackle corruption.
She said: “Guyana, in the last four years, has made serious efforts to improve its anti-corruption [mechanisms].”

Minister Teixeira then listed the numerous steps such as passing legislation that the PPP/C government has taken to ensure the anti-corruption system possesses greater accountability and transparency.
She added: “Fighting corruption is a constant battle,” noting that there has been no country which has ended this battle.

Minister Teixeira had recently issued a detailed statement addressing misconceptions surrounding the recently published 2024 CPI by Transparency International.
The minister emphasised the need to understand the context, methodology, and limitations of the CPI, which measures perceived corruption rather than actual corruption levels.
According to Minister Teixeira, the CPI is a perception-based index that aggregates views from 13 sources provided by 12 institutions, including the World Bank Country Policy and Institutional Assessment, which itself acknowledges that its ratings are based on staff judgment and do not necessarily reflect the views of the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors.

In Guyana’s case, five sources were used from 2022 to 2024, yielding scores ranging from 38 to 44.
Minister Teixeira also responded to a Stabroek News article on February 13, 2025, which linked Guyana’s CPI ranking to allegations of state capture and illicit enrichment cited by Insight Crime.
The minister clarified that these claims were not part of the sources used by Transparency International for the CPI, and called for responsible reporting and interpretation of the index.

Minister Teixeira highlighted that the struggle with corruption perception indices is not unique to Guyana, citing Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s remarks on biases against developing countries.
She emphasised that while corruption remains a global issue, indices like the CPI should be interpreted with caution and supplemented with evidence-based assessments.

The Government of Guyana, the minister said, remains committed to advancing anti-corruption efforts, enhancing transparency and accountability, and engaging with international partners, civil society, and the media to promote responsible use of global indices.