Confronting corruption requires courage. Few people can speak truth to power. I remember standing like the cheese alone on a particular Board, when I maintained that a particular Prime Minister was not entitled to have his wish complied with because it was unlawful. I pointed to the legal provision that supported my view. I was told he is the Prime Minister. It was Good Friday, when the Attorney-General phoned my house to ask me to reconsider, I refused saying, “Today is Good Friday. You can crucify me.” He said that the PM was a very determined man. He did not know I was a Taurean.

Yes, we are corrupt but not all of us are, so there is hope. I dare say, there are more honest people in this country than there are dishonest ones and the phrase honest politician is not an oxymoron. Elimination of corruption is not an insurmountable mountain we cannot climb.

– Excerpted from Keynote Address, Corruption in Trinidad and Tobago: Perception or Reality?, Launch of Corruption Perception Index 2020 delivered by: The Honourable Hazel Thompson-Ahye, Independent Senator

Recommendations

1. Promote Clean Leadership in Key Institutions;
2. Develop Parliamentary Processes to Hold State Institutions to Account;
3. Ensure the Integrity and Independence of the Judiciary;
4. Ensure Independence of Commissions to Counter Corruption;
5. Establish Freedom of Media;
6. Establish an Independent, Effective and Merit-Based Public Service and Law Enforcement Regime;
7. Improve Integrity and Transparency in Revenue Collection;
8. Ensure Procurement Transparency and Open Contracting;
9. Engage Civil Society and Improve Its Participation in Governance;
10. Inculcate a Culture of Human Rights and Rule of Law;
11. Ensure Political Finance Transparency;
12. Promote Decentralised Administration.

Results for the Americas

With an average score of 43 for the fifth consecutive year, the Americas showcase corruption and the mismanagement of funds in one of the regions most affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

Canada and Uruguay are consistently top performers, with scores of 77 and 71 respectively, while Nicaragua, Haiti and Venezuela are the worst performers, with scores of 22, 18 and 15 respectively.

Courtesy transparency.org.