TT STILL FULL OF BOBOL

Trinidad and Tobago has fallen by thirty percent on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) according to Berlin based Transparency International (TI). The anti-corruption organization ranked Trinidad and Tobago 43rd out of 133 countries on this year’s CPI. That is, 10 points below its ranking in 2002. Six surveys were conducted by the CPI during the 2001-2003 period, ranking countries in terms of the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians.

Among those seen as less corrupt than Trinidad and Tobago are Finland who headed the rankings  with a score of 9.7, New Zealand in third place with a score of 9.5 and Singapore fifth with 9.4 points. Boyd Reid, Chairman of the Trinidad and Tobago Transparency Institute (TTTI), explained that they ratings were just a matter of perception. “We’re not saying necessarily that there isn’t much corruption in the developed countries. However if you wish to be seen as a first world country, one of the first things you have to do is to get a better score in the corruption index, and be seen as doing something positive about preventing corruption.” But Reid maintained that the fact that Trinidad and Tobago had fallen in the corruption ratings is not as important as the fact that the country scored 4.6 points out if ten. The score of 4.6 out of ten, according to Reid, “places us amongst those countries who, according to the TI, urgently need to implement effective anti-corruption strategies.” “We urgently need help for corruption.” 

Reid said this year’s ranking of 43rd has placed Trinidad and Tobago alongside Cuba and Jordan, putting Trinidad and Tobago one third to the top, there being 42 countries seen as less corrupt and twice as many - 88- seen to be more corrupt than we are. Commenting further on Trinidad and Tobago’s ranking in the CPI, Reid said, “Despite the efforts of Government, the private sector and Civil Society over the past five years, we are being perceived as more corrupt. One reason may be that, during that period there surfaced several cases of alleged corruption which had serious political consequences,” citing the airport inquiry as a possible major contributing factor for this year’s result. But Reid, offering a more personal view to the results, said, “The main reason in my estimation for the this year’s result is because the observers who are being polled by these surveys are not seeing results.”

But Public Contracting was cited as one of the main areas where corruption has surfaced. According to the TTTI Chairman, “Reform in that area is long overdue,” Reid said. The present system is governed by an ordinance that goes back to colonial times. But so much has changed in the world and particularly in Trinidad and Tobago since then. Quite obviously the laws and the institutions like the Central Tenders Board are not really adapted to modern situations. As a result we feel that government should delay no further in getting its proposed reforms out to the public so that together, all the people interested would be able to help form this policy.”