Dear Editor,
WIN’s party leader Mr. Azruddin Mohamed has accused two government ministers of corruption, presenting pictures and estimated property values to support his allegations. The ministers deny the claims, but Mr. Azruddin and critics remain skeptical. Without a proper investigation and available verifiable information, it is not prudent to comment on these allegations at this time.
What we do know from field research and content analysis is that bureaucratic corruption in Guyana has been pervasive for decades. This “cancer” has persisted from colonialism into contemporary society. There have been reports of bureaucrats demanding bribes for routine tasks or to influence outcomes. Many Guyanese are aware of bribery in obtaining documents like driver’s licenses, passports, and birth and marriage certificates, as well as undervaluing goods to reduce customs duties.
During the last 2 years, three Guyanese claimed, for example, that intermediaries requested bribes of $(G) 1-2 million for a firearm license, despite their strong police and reference reports and compelling cases for approval. The challenge lies in assessing the validity of these and other claims.
Allegations of corruption in the public service usually focus on monetary or property instruments, while abuses such as discrimination, promoting unqualified individuals, demanding sexual favors for promotion, or seizing property, often go unreported. A new form of corruption struck the 2025 regional and general elections campaign, that has been referred to as “vote buying.” Let us be pellucid: any form of corruption or criminal activity, we categorically condemn. Perpetrators apprehended must face the full force of the law.
Our inquiry into corruption found that although the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) has formal rules, it is accused of bypassing them to favour certain contractors. One contractor routinely adds a 5% bribe, calling it a “commission.” Another says that he was denied a contract that went to an underqualified bidder, who then sub-contracted the work back to him. Contractors rarely challenge decisions due to fear of retaliation and lack of faith in the appeals process. The PPP/C issued only 12 reports in response to complaints received from contractors over a 5-year period (2020-2025), while it lacks executive authority, and could only make recommendations. According to some people, the ultimate form of corruption is “trying to steal an election.”
We say categorically that anyone with incriminating evidence should report it to law enforcement. However, we do understand that the system is flawed because both parties (the giver and the taker) often benefit from corruption, and fear of retaliation may deter reporting even if someone is harmed. These challenges are illustrated by noted historical cases.
The PNCR-led coalition accused the PPP/C government of corruption and when they (coalition) won state power in 2015 they created the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) to recover supposedly stolen state assets. After five years and over $1 billion spent, SARA achieved few results and was disbanded by the PPPC government in 2020. Also in 2015, the PNCR-led coalition government also conducted 40 forensic audits to assess corruption among PPP/C ministers and top government officials but found no incriminating evidence.
Therefore, what measures should the PPP/C government take to reduce corruption? It should review the Integrity Commission’s role and authority and assess the NPTAB’s structure, rules, and procedures, while considering expanding the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee’s powers. It is recognised that digitisation will help reduce corruption and delays in issuing documents like passports, births and marriage certificates, as well as streamlining the property application process through the Planning and Development Single Window System.
To enhance anti-corruption efforts, it is advisable for the government to establish an Independent Office of Inspector General (IGO) endowed with broader authority than that of the Auditor General. The IGO would assume responsibilities including conducting inspections, performing timely audits, reviewing standard operating procedures, detecting instances of waste, fraud, and abuse, recommending measures to improve efficiency, and supporting criminal referrals when necessary; this may encompass the execution of “sting” operations to apprehend offenders. Furthermore, the government should pursue amendments to the Criminal Offenders Act to establish a comprehensive operational definition of corruption and institute penalties exceeding the current maximum of seven years for violations. President Ali has announced plans for a dedicated unit focused on reducing corruption—could this incorporate the measures proposed for the IGO? Additionally, executives and managerial bureaucrats should sign a Code of Ethics.