HGP Nightly News – Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Gail Teixeira has pushed back against the use of Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index to assess Guyana’s corruption record, arguing that the index is based on perception and should not be treated as proof of actual corruption.
The exchange took place during a sitting of the National Assembly, after Opposition Chief Whip Tabitha Sarbo-Halley asked the Minister to explain why Guyana continues to rank poorly on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index and related governance indicators, despite workshops, public statements and government commitments to transparency.
In response, Teixeira questioned the basis of the question, stating that the government could not identify the specific World Bank corruption indicator referenced by the Opposition MP. She said the World Bank has governance-related assessments, including measures linked to government effectiveness and control of corruption, but argued that those assessments include disclaimers and are based on staff judgment rather than a formal position of the World Bank’s Executive Directors or member governments.
Turning to Transparency International, Teixeira said the latest Corruption Perceptions Index was for 2024 and maintained that the CPI does not measure actual levels of corruption.
She argued that the index reflects subjective views and perceptions, which may be influenced by media coverage, social media narratives, socioeconomic conditions and wider global trends.
The Minister told the House that the government does not accept the index as a definitive measure of corruption, saying it is not based on direct empirical evidence of corrupt acts.
However, Teixeira’s response appeared defensive, as she focused heavily on challenging the methodology of the index rather than providing specific local data to show measurable progress in reducing corruption risks, improving accountability, or addressing the weaknesses raised in the report.
She also did not directly acknowledge or engage in detail with the recommendations that usually accompany concerns about corruption perception, including stronger transparency systems, improved public access to information, greater procurement accountability and more visible enforcement against wrongdoing.
Instead, Teixeira argued that Guyana should not be judged solely by international perception surveys, particularly when many countries in the Global South often rank lower than countries in the Global North.
She referenced concerns raised by Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley about the way corruption is often framed internationally, arguing that countries in the South are frequently labelled corrupt while similar concerns in wealthier countries receive less attention.
Teixeira also said Guyana’s anti-corruption and transparency work should be assessed through its laws, constitutional systems, audits, protocols and treaty obligations.
She pointed to Guyana’s reporting under frameworks such as the United Nations Convention against Corruption, the Inter-American Convention against Corruption, the Lima Commitment and the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force.
According to the Minister, those reporting mechanisms are more relevant to Guyana’s formal obligations than perception-based rankings.
The Opposition’s question, however, placed renewed attention on the gap between government statements on transparency and the continued public concern over corruption, procurement, access to information and accountability.
While Teixeira maintained that the Corruption Perceptions Index is not proof of corruption, the parliamentary exchange highlighted a broader issue of whether the government is prepared to answer perception concerns with concrete data, policy action and measurable reforms, rather than rejecting the index on methodological grounds alone.
