-only ranked 119 because of 5 countries absenceWhile Guyana has been scored at 119 out of 168 countries on the Transparency International (TI) Perceptions Index,Cheap Jerseys From China, President of the local watchdog group, Transparency Institute of Guyana Incorporated (TIGI), Reverend Father ComptonPresident of the TIGI,NFL Jerseys Cheap, Reverend Fr Compton MeerabuxMeerabux,China NBA Jerseys, has said that the so called improvement is actually not as it seems.Guyana has really not gained anything,Wholesale China NFL Jerseys, he said. Five countries- Barbados, Bahamas,Wholesale Authentic Soccer Jerseys, Bermuda, Dominica and St. Vincent- were not included in the index covering the year 2015. He noted that these are all countries that normally did better than Guyana on the index.“This means that Guyana has not gained anything. Had those countries been included, Guyana would have dropped to 124.”He further noted that back in early 2015, the institute had predicted that there would be no increase. Meerabux affirmed that the absence of an integrity commission manned by professional staff, has been one contributing factor to the low score. The absence of the Public Procurement Commission is another.“(Guyana also) needs to have independence of Judiciary,” he said. “And we need to have prosecutors with a passion.”Fr Meerabux said that the low score is indicative of a country where bribery is rampant and all too often the culprits go free with no repercussions.He also cited the events of 2014- prorogation of parliament and Chief Justice Ian Chang’s ruling that former Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh acted against regulations when expending money from the contingency fund– played a part in Guyana’s low score.He also touted the importance of the United Nations (UN’s) assistance and advice in the proper legislative steps to be taken when conducting asset recovery. In addition, Meerabux spoke of the valuable help they could provide in terms of prosecution capacity.At presently, a United Nations (UN)/ World Bank-sponsored initiative known as State Assets Recovery Unit Initiative is in Guyana with to hold consultations with relevant stakeholders. It is expected that after the mission is completed, the group will have recommendations to make to local officials.Fr Meerabux praised this collaboration, noting that after it would have compiled everything from listening to stakeholders, it will give Guyana’s efforts a boost.“And once the money (state assets) is recovered, the money will go towards development,Cheap NHL Jerseys Online,” Fr. Meerabux said. “This money could have gone to the poor and (to alleviating) unemployment (in the first place). Greedy people steal the vision of the poor.”The 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index, which was released by Transparency International, shows that despite much talk by nations to fight corruption, countries, including Guyana, have shown little sign of improvement.Guyana received a score of 29, signaling a slip one place down from its score last year. But Guyana did improve in ranking. In 2014 it was ranked 124 out of 175 countries but in 2015 it moved up to 119 out of 168 countries.Three other countries tied with Guyana in the 119th position. These were Azerbaijan, Russia and Sierra Leone.The report said that any score below 50 indicates a serious corruption problem. Guyana has never been above 50. Additionally two-thirds of the countries surveyed scored less than 50.Guyana’s Continental and Regional neighbours did better than it in 2015. The report revealed that Trinidad and Tobago scored 39 while Brazil and Jamaica scored 38 and 41 respectively. Suriname earned a score of 36 while Haiti got a score of 17.Denmark and Finland were the only countries close to a perfect score with 91 and 90 respectively. This makes Denmark’s second year in the top spot.Transparency International is an organization that gives voice to the victims and witnesses of corruption. It works together with Governments, businesses and citizens to stop the abuse of power, bribery and secret deals.Through chapters in more than 100 countries and an international secretariat in Berlin,Cheap Jerseys Online, it prides itself on leading the fight against corruption to turn its vision into reality.The Corruption Perceptions Index measures the perceived levels of public sector corruption worldwide. The scores are measured from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
