TT corruption perception worsens

The CPI measured perceptions of corruption within the public service by polling the opinions of business leaders and country experts and ranks 176 countries on a scale of one to 100. The lower the score, the more corrupt the country is perceived as being. “A poor score is a likely sign of widespread bribery, lack of punishment for corruption and public institutions which do not respond to the public’s needs,” said Dion Abdool, chair of the TTTI.

TT was one of the lowest scoring countries in the Caribbean region, with only Guyana and Haiti having lower CPI scores of 34 and 20 respectively, putting them at rankings of 108 and 159. Jamaica moved up to TT’s old spot at 39 out of 100, earning it a place at 83. Meanwhile the Bahamas had the highest regional score of 66, garnering it a ranking of 24 out of 100. Internationally, Denmark was the country with the highest CPI score, of 90, while Somalia placed last out of the 176 countries with a score of 10.

Overall however, more countries had worsening ratings, with the report saying that over two-thirds got score of 50 or less. The TTTI noted that TT’s scores were part of a global trend which indicated a need for urgent action. Part of the action needed to be taken locally said TTTI, was operationalisation of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property Act as well as enactment of the Whistle Blower protection Bill, now before a parliamentary Joint Select Committee.

“The solution lies with us,” said Abdool as he presented the results.

Managing Director and CEO of the JMMB, Nigel Romano said during his presentation, “The broader national level, it is most important that our political leadership engages with all stakeholders in the country, in a very real conversation around solutions. Leaders need to create buy in up front.” TT is tied with the Philippines, Timor-Leste, Gabon, Peru, Thailand and Niger.

Scores are taken from 13 data sources collected from 12 different organisations. A country must have scores from three of these to be listed on the CPI. Trinidad and Tobago had scores from five, including the Economist Intelligence Unit, the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, the World Economic Forum’s Executive Opinion Survey and the International Country Risk Guide of Political Risk Services and Global Insight. The CPI polls perceptions of corruption over two year periods, the results for 2016 being representative for the period 2014 to 2016.