GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The Guyana government says the country now enjoys being a hub for foreign investment, noting that anti-corruption legislation is integral in building a democratic framework and fostering sustainable development.
“There was a time when no international company would have come to do business with Guyana, and it took hard work to make us able to present ourselves once again as a credible destination for international investors,” Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh told the three-day ninth annual conference of the Commonwealth Caribbean Association of Integrity Commissions and Anti-Corruption Bodies.
The Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTC) sponsors the conference. It will allow for presentations and panel discussions by experts in anti-corruption fields and networking events.
Singh said that Guyana’s efforts did not go in vain as the country has become a hub for investment activity. He said the government also prioritizes formulating the framework to ensure transparency and accountability.
“We are reinforced in our conviction that what we have achieved thus far represents a work in progress. We continue to be committed to further strengthening this legal framework.
“This government is firmly committed to putting in place an institutional architecture for good governance that will be done ultimately to the benefit and well-being of all of the Guyanese people,” Singh said.
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Gail Teixeira told the conference that the “eyes and ears” concept is essential in building the anti-corruption framework.
But she said while Guyana established the National Coordinating Committee (NCC) in 2021 to manage reporting and monitoring by international anti-corruption policies and its role in fostering greater participation in the reporting process, there is still a need for the involvement of persons at the grassroots level to strengthen the anti-corruption structure.
“In every community in Guyana, there is a senior citizen who is watching like a hawk from their veranda or backstep what is happening in the community, what they are doing with the road, how much sand they are using, how much gravel, how long they work…
“We have to give credence to these persons who recognize the value of money,” she said, adding that people need to be encouraged to become the eyes and ears of anti-corruption.
“We are to look at what kind of interactions, interventions [and] innovations to reward and to recognize the community reporters. We need citizen anti-corruption reporters to give that credibility and importance.”
She also highlighted the value of citizen reporters in holding government and private sector agencies accountable, noting that people must get discounts for their money, resources are utilized strategically, and transparency and integrity permeate every transaction done in the interest of development.
“All this is part of building trust. If our people don’t trust the institutions, they won’t share information with you. No matter how much whistleblower legislation you pass, they won’t. So, part of what we do is to build trust that the institutions work fairly and transparently. And this is an important challenge for us,” Teixeira said.
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