President Ali dismisses Corruption Index report as ‘bias’

President Dr Mohamed Ali has dismissed the Transparency International (TI) report, which rated Guyana 39 out of 100 on its Corruption Perception Index, as “biased.”

During a public broadcast today, the President highlighted that the organisation is driven by the perceptions of certain individuals who are using claims of corruption to taint his government during an election year.

Transparency International Guyana, the local arm of the international anti-corruption organisation, released its report on Wednesday on the perception of corruption in Guyana.

It stated that while the country was making strides with anti-corruption institutions and laws, transparency and law enforcement remained low.

Claims were also made of attacks on dissenting voices, activists, and journalists.

President Ali pointed out that the information from the organisation was similar to that of individuals with an agenda against the government. “Those driving the perception (of corruption) have an agenda in an election year. They have a motive,” the Guyanese leader affirmed.

Taking a closer look at the local branch, the President zeroed in on its operators, pointing out that some of them are seen to have connections to opposition parties or have commented independently on the People’s Progressive Party’s management of the country.

President Ali also noted that despite a number of initiatives implemented by the government to tackle corruption, the PPP administration continues to receive low anti-corruption scores.

To make his point, the President referred to several incidents, including in 2018, when the previous government fell due to a no-confidence motion but continued to spend public funds and engage in deals on behalf of the state.

There was no emphasis on these anomalies, the President noted.

He said the PPP government is not shying away from any international assessments, but they must be credible, and once the anti-corruption organisation is reputable, his government would subject itself to assessment.