Former House Speaker wants policy governing gifts to gov’t employees

Last Updated on Sunday, 27 October 2024, 17:50 by Writer

Senior Counsel, and Former Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran.

Anti-corruption activist and former House Speaker, Ralph Ramkarran on Sunday recommended that there be a policy or law governing gifts to government employees, in the wake of revelations that an assistant police commissioner had received millions of dollars in wedding gifts from businessmen.

He said Guyana should follow in the footsteps of most developed countries in developing a policy or law on the types, value and reporting of gifts, with someone responsible for those terms including investigations.

“In Guyana, there is no such policy that is known and the time has come when such a policy should be either implemented by law or in policy,” said Mr Ramkarran, a former long-standing executive member of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), who resigned from that party in June 2012, told Demerara Waves Online News over his views about corruption.

Mr Ramkarran said such an approach could mark a “start to dealing with corruption”. Referring to the Integrity Commission Act, he said persons in public office are only required to submit their assets. The Integrity Commission Act states that people in public life must report receiving gifts worth more than GY$10,000 to the Commission which decide whether they are personal or state gifts, but it is that body that would decide what type of gift it is. The name and address of the donor also have to be provided to the Integrity Commission. If a recipient is unsure whether a gift from a relative or friend is a personal gift or state gift, he or she could ask the Commission to decide.

He said the Integrity Commission Act should be tightened to allow for investigation in the same manner like the Financial Intelligence Unity which could receive suspicious reports and call in the police.

Guyana’s Public Service Rules, as amended in 2004, says public servants can be dismissed if they pay money or give gifts in consideration of favours, proffer or accept a bribe for special favours or receive gifts or rewards for official service rendered.

In his latest column titled “Ethics in Administration”, Mr Ramkarran said since the potential for corruption has increased exponentially, the minimum that should be expected are basic reforms arising from recent events. “These are enforcement of the rule that public servants across the board must follow the rules and not engage in private business and a rule against the acceptance of gifts by public servants including parliamentarians that is public and has an enforcement mechanism that is subject to public scrutiny,” he said.

He said today, public servants could openly accumulate close to a billion dollars in cash and assets under the noses of their employers without any sanction whatsoever. “It would be challenging the boundaries of credulity to accept that no one knew of the accumulation while it was going on. And if people knew, or permitted it, then no argument can be credibly advanced that this kind of activity is not tolerated.”

According to statements by two businessmen in Linden, included in court documents filed by the Guyana Police Force’s Special Organised Crime Unit, they each gifted Assistant Police Commissioner Calvin Brutus US$10,000 as a wedding gift and GY$1 million as a 2023 Christmas gift.

Mr Ramkarran said the Procurement Commission should have the “power to revoke” contracts if found to be in breach of the rules. He said it was not only about having an independent person on the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) but about an overhaul of the procurement system. “This whole thing needs to be revised and relooked at… There are lots of complaints. The opposition is complaining, independent people are complaining,” he told Demerara Waves Online News.

Opposition A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) parliamentarian, Ganesh Mahipaul had twice called for the Procurement Act to be amended to allow for opposition representation.

The NPTAB is usually stacked with members who are sympathetic to the sitting government of the day.