Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Gail Teixeira said Guyana is making steady progress in its fight against corruption through stronger institutions, improved inter-agency collaboration, and enhanced investigative and prosecutorial capacity.
Responding to questions from WIN Member of Parliament Tabitha Sarabo-Halley in the National Assembly on Friday, Teixeira defended the government's anti-corruption record and pointed to reforms and institutional improvements which she said are yielding results.
“We have been making good progress, as we say in Guyana, ‘one, one dutty build dam’,” Teixeira told the House. “We have had to do things one at a time to build the capacity of the human resources within each agency, and to develop collaboration between agencies in order to bring stronger investigations and prosecutions,” she added.
Teixeira said Guyana’s anti-corruption efforts had received international recognition, citing measures related to asset forfeiture and oversight bodies.
“Our position on asset forfeiture has been recognised by the UN Convention Against Corruption. Our best practices with regard to the Auditor General’s Office and the Public Service Commission are recognised by the Inter-American Commission Against Corruption,” she said.
Asked about the effectiveness of government-led anti-corruption workshops, Teixeira acknowledged there was no available data linking the programmes directly to reduced corruption levels, but said they had improved standards, protocols, and cooperation among agencies.
“We have been reporting, and our progress is noted in terms of improvements in collaboration, improvements in standards and protocols, and the manner in which prosecutions are brought before the court,” she said.
The minister also pointed to recent Auditor General reports, saying there had been a reduction in the number of issues raised regarding follow-up action and the implementation of recommendations.
She said several anti-corruption agencies had developed capacities that did not previously exist, strengthening the country’s ability to investigate and address wrongdoing.
Looking ahead, Teixeira said amendments to the Integrity Commission Act are being prepared and are expected to strengthen enforcement mechanisms.
She also said the government had not ruled out establishing an independent anti-corruption agency in the future.
“When the time comes, and when we decide to create an anti-corruption unit, we will use the best practices we know from other countries and draw on our own experience to develop that,” she said.
However, Teixeira said the government continued to assess existing models, including lessons learned from the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA).
“But right now, the model of SARA and the experience of SARA showed that the head of SARA had more powers than the Commissioner of Police, the DPP, and other constitutionally appointed office holders,” she said.
Teixeira said tackling corruption required long-term institutional development and cultural change, adding that the government remained focused on strengthening oversight agencies, improving accountability systems, and fostering greater intolerance towards corruption.