Guyana now prides itself as a state built on the foundation of democratic principles, further highlighting the importance of an efficient anti-corruption legislative framework.
Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh emphasised this point at the opening ceremony of the 9th Annual Conference of the Commonwealth Caribbean Association of Integrity Commissions and Anti-Corruption Bodies.
“It took a lot of work, including with the support of our international partners, first of all, to restore democracy, to start to progressively rebuild the institutions of the state, an independent judiciary, other independent watchdogs, including those for the purpose of accountability and such.
“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,” he noted.
These efforts did not go in vain as Guyana is a hub for investment activity. Guyana also has a government that places priority on formulating the framework to ensure transparency and accountability.
This work has encompassed every aspect of the governance landscape, seeing constitutional reform having a ripple effect, with the establishment of several constitutional commissions, a public procurement commission, and sectoral committees within the parliament to provide parliamentary oversight in areas of government operations.
Additionally, the public and media can access annual public reports of constitutional bodies and state boards, as well as the Auditor General’s Annual Report.
These policies are all part of the administration’s efforts to eradicate corruption in all sectors across Guyana.
This is work that will continue, as government plans to institute a second wave of constitutional reform, and is on the brink of launching the work of the constitutional reform commission, which will see further revisions.
“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 wellbeing of all of the Guyanese people,” Minister Singh assured.
